Love never Dies, Hatred never Sleeps
by Tabby Phobos
Summary: Shounenai, Shoujoai. Sequel to To Die or Not to Die. Lost in space, the Nadesico crew must rely on their enemies to help them gain control of the situation...
1. A plot already

A/N: Here I am again! I bet you people are seriously sick of me and wish a truck hit me. Well, I didn't even go outside today, so there. Anyway. Whee, new fanfic! *cracks fingers* So, what do I see here? Most of the same old, same old… Shounen ai, Shoujo ai, het… blah blah blah… In any case, fans of fantasy will like this installment! ^^ It may be more time between chapters, because this is going to be much more difficult than To Die or Not to Die. I have nothing to go on, it's all me. That could be good or bad, so let's just see how it works out. For soundtracks… I would suggest any Enigma or Delerium CD… or maybe the soundtrack for FF7 or FF10, either or. There will no longer be any lists in any chapters, but if you want the right feel for this story, those are good. Yes, Shadow. I'm sorry, but there will be much Akito and Akatsuki bashing. Literally, in some places. I have to do it, sorry. Anyway, let's get the show on the road!

~*~

"One, two, three, four… Two, two, three, four…" Redhead pilot Amano Hikaru skipped down the dorm hall and stopped in front of a room that seemed no different than the others. She knocked on the metallic door and stood for a moment, waiting for an answer, and tapping her metallic toe against the metallic floor. 'Dude, this sounds really cool…'

The door opened to show a man, taller than her, but still her age, and looking rather annoyed at her. Hikaru smiled anyway. "Hey, Akito! Why don't you come down to the party in the breakfast room? We haven't seen much of you lately!"

Martian cook Tenkawa Akito turned away from the girl and ventured back into his room. "I've been busy."

"Busy doing what?" Hikaru stayed in the doorway. If she were doing this, maybe, a month or two ago, she would have followed him into his room. Or they would have been on their way to the cafeteria.

"Stuff. Yurika stuff." Since the Nadesico Boson Jumped from Mars to… wherever they were now, you could barely ever see Akito and Captain Misumaru Yurika apart.

Hikaru nodded, leaning against the wall next to the door. "Yeah. And I bet you to are dying for some time on your own." 'Subtle obvious approach.'

Akito looked back to the door. "Like hell!" He disappeared into the room again. "Nice try, Hikaru. You're missing the party."

Hikaru sighed and left. 'Well, I tried, and that's what counts.' She walked silently all the way back to the cafeteria. When she got there, she sat down at the table closest to the ordering counter, on the left from the door. She was alone at first, but then five other people greeted her.

"No luck, eh?" asked Kazamo Itsuki, flirtatious and elegant. Hikaru shook her head before replying, "Nope. I think I'm getting close to giving up."

"How many times do I have to say it? He's an asshole. Fuck him." Hikaru turned to the next speaker, Yamada Jiro, or rather, Gai Daigoji. "Think about what you just said, Gai-chan." It took a moment for the tall dark pilot to realize the other meaning to his words. "Oh hell! Dammit, Hikaru!" She just giggled.

Aoi Jun, the only one in their group dressed in white, snorted. "Let's not ruin this by think of that little prick. It's his own damn fault if he wants to give up on all of his friends. Now," he clapped his hands together, "where's my gum wrappers?"

Itsuki pulled a gift out from under the table and handed it to green-haired Subaru Ryoko. "Happy birthday, darling." Ryoko ripped it open, and her jaw dropped when she saw what it was. Maki Izumi looked over Ryoko's shoulder. "The hell?"

Itsuki grinned. "I told you I'd plant vibrators in your bed at some point, Ryoko!" Ryoko picked up the gift and threw it at the purple haired lesbian. It missed horribly and conked Jun in the head instead. Jun's mouth opened in shock. "Why the hell are masturbation tools being thrown at my head?" Gai shook his head and pushed a present in front of the blue-haired man. "Here, take it and ask all the questions you want."

The request made Jun raise an eyebrow as he ever so slowly opened the package, making everyone squirm. When he opened the box, though, is when he realized what the much younger man meant. He pulled the article out of the box, holding it up for all to see, and giving Gai an expectant glance. "Well? Why did you give me a bra, of all things?"

Gai smiled as he prepared his answer, and began ticking them off his fingers. "One, it seemed appropriate. Two, I heard interesting stories about how you were a nun at the funerals. Three, plain and simple, Jun. You're a hot and sexy bitch. So I had to give you an embarrassing undergarment. It was… required." Gai flashed him a million dollar smile and prayed that Jun didn't dissect him for it. Not that the smaller man could, anyway.

Jun simply sighed and pushed the box away. Hikaru handed a box in Izumi direction. "Don't worry. It's nothing embarrassing." Izumi raised an eyebrow. "Not embarrassing? Hell, it's gag gift day. I'm expecting it to be embarrassing." She opened the box without care, but seemed genuinely happy when she saw what the package was. She held up a haunted house horror book titled, 'Above the Roof, Under the Floor' by Rebecca Saline. "Jesus Christ, Hikaru! Where the fuck did you find this? I've wanted this book for the longest time!"

Hikaru smiled at her best friend. "I know! I bought it off Sayuri for 500 yen. She hated it." Izumi walked around the table to give her best friend a hug. "Thank you so fucking much."

Ryoko blinked. "Wow, that was a rather sobering moment." Gai's eyebrows knit. "Ryoko, we kinda aren't drinking." Jun smiled wickedly. "And I'm the only one legal here!" Everyone groaned.

~*~

It was hard to miss the pilots at the fifth celebratory party. After the first two, the crowds got smaller and smaller, until it seemed that the pilots were the party. Nevertheless, Megumi Reinard, the petite communications officer, and Haruka Minato, the curvy helmswoman, sat in the cafeteria, alone together for the first time in a long time.

Megumi stretched, flipping her braid behind her head. "I think this is the last one I'm coming to. I can't stand the retardation," commented Megumi, indicating with a toss of her head that she meant the group of pilots. Minato nodded slowly, ignoring the commotion from that side of the room. "I'm surprised Kanchou didn't come. She started these things."

Megumi sighed. "Akito didn't come either, so there may not be many more of these." 'Must be nice, to just stop, smell the roses, and just generally hang out with someone you love.' Megumi looked down at the table in front of her. "Minato?"

Minato twirled a bit of hair around her finger and yawned. "Uh huh?" Megumi bit her lip before asking her question. "What's it like to be in love?"

The question took Minato off guard, and her eyebrows snapped together. She looked at her younger best friend unbelievingly. "You mean you don't know?"

Megumi shook her head, feeling ashamed. Minato smiled. "Of course you do! You're crazy Megumi. You are in love."

"With who? Last time I checked, I wasn't in love…"

Minato tapped a finger against her chin. "Hello? Meg, did you just have a brain fart? Your mystery man from your dreams?" Megumi snapped her fingers. "I almost forgot about him! But… I don't even know him." Minato shrugged. "Maybe it's Jun with long hair." Megumi glanced at the other occupied table at the Executive Officer, laughing at one of Izumi's few good jokes. "Oh hell no. No offense to him, but… his crowd. Ugh."

Minato shook her head. "You judge too easily Megumi. Look past appearances, you just might see something beautiful. Remember when we were being held in this room, against our will, a long time ago?"

Megumi nodded. "You said… 'Never judge a movie by its poster.'" Minato nodded. "I stand by that today."

Megumi sighed.

~*~

Yurika smiled at the computer operator, Hoshino Ruri, as she entered the bridge. "Hey, Ruri-chan! Haven't seen much of you lately!"

Ruri glanced at the captain. "I've been coming to my post, rather than go to the celebratory parties." Yurika nodded. "Oh. Well, I decided to grace the bridge with my presence today. So, any pressing news Ruri?"

"Communications output is receiving no response."

"Well, that's good. We won't have random people like Erina coming to yell at us." Yurika smiled at the young girl. Ruri sighed. Sometimes Yurika didn't get it.

Admiral Fukube Jin stood and leaning over the railing, intrigued by Ruri's report. "No response? Are they even receiving?"

"We have no way of telling, sir." Yurika's blue-violet eyebrows gathered. "What are you suggesting, Admiral?"

Fukube cleared his throat before answering. "We may be in a more serious situation that we thought."

~*~

"So what you're saying is that we have no fucking clue where we are?" asked Uribatake Seiya, Head Mechanic. Inez Fressange, Head Doctor, nodded. "In essence, yes. We are much farther from the Earth and Jupiter than expected, and with the Nadesico drifting in space for the past week, we are very far off course. It would be lucky if we could find out where we are, but with being so far from civilization, we are unable to contact those who could help us."

"Great," whispered Shiratori Yukina, the Jupiterian girl, "we're literally up Shit Creek without a paddle." Inez nodded. "Basically."

"But couldn't we just Boson Jump our way back to Earth? I mean, if we jumped all the way out here, we should be able to Jump back, right?" suggested the Martian captain, much more confident about Jumping than she had a mere week ago.

Inez shook her head. "We only Jumped last time because we had no choice. I'd rather we didn't do it blindly again. With the computer on the ship, I believe that long-term effects may come to the Nadesico and her crew if we keep it much longer. Also, and I'm sure you felt it as well, Kanchou, but Boson particles are streaming in and out of the device, filling the Nadesico."

Yurika glanced at her hands, folded in her lap. "What does that mean, Miss Fressange?" Inez shook her head, and then reached into her pocket, pulling out a plate that her younger self gave her. "It's only a matter of time until we know. But, for now, no Jumping. It'll interfere with my experiments on the device as well."

Akatsuki Nagare, CEO of the company that originally built the Nadesico, spoke up. "Experiment, Doctor?" Inez nodded. "I'm fairly sure I know what this… thing does." She turned the plate over in her hands. "However, I will not use it until we are certain that it is safe. Right now, I'm more worried about the traveling Boson particles. That, and while we know how it works, we haven't mastered Jumping. What if there are permanent damages to those who are not qualified?" Inez shook her head, and hid the plate in her pocket once again. "No, I'm sure that if we keep scanning and heading in our present direction, we'll reach civilization soon."

Yurika's head tilted, making her look like a child. "Are we going to meet aliens?" Inez smiled. "Possibly."

Yukina sighed, and folded her hands behind her head. "I don't know what the big deal is with you Earthlings and aliens. You thought we were aliens for a while, right?" Uribatake stood and, nodding, left the room.

As soon as he was outside, he started to laugh gleefully. 'Aliens? Maybe they have advanced technology and even sexier robots!' He rubbed his hands together as he headed for the hangar bay.

~*~

Yukina plopped into Megumi's chair and sighed, leaning back and stretching. Ruri glanced at her slightly. "Are you aware that that's Miss Reinard's chair?" Yukina shrugged. "You know, Ruri, one thing that's bugged me for a while," she picked up Megumi's radio and placed it on her head, adjusting it to fit her head, "is that I'm completely useless."

Notsumote Ariko, Ruri's younger brother, was fixing Minato's controls. "No you're not, Yukina. You just…" He thought for a moment. "Well, you should be happy you don't have a job."

The seemingly human boy next to Ruri turned to the silver-haired prince. "But I thought you loved your job!" Electric blue lights flashed in the boy's eyes, giving away the fact that his was a robot. Ariko nodded slowly. "Yeah, I do, Omoikane, but sometimes I just wish I could just sit around and do nothing. I never could at home, and I can't here." He closed up the panel and wiped his sweat on his blue-clad arm.

Yurika came back onto the bridge then. "Alright, Ruri, can you fill Megumi in on- Oh shit, you weren't there…" The Martian woman looked down at Megumi's seat to see Yukina sitting there. "Yukina?" Yukina turned around and smiled. "I was there, I know what was said. You want me to report it?" Yurika nodded slowly, perplexed as to why the young Jovian girl would want to do Megumi's job. She shrugged though. 'Hey, it doesn't make Ruri search all over for Megumi and then make me explain things to her. It may be a lot easier this way.'

It took Yukina a few moments to realize what button did what, and after switching to Emergency Broadcast, which was barely used for emergencies, her face appeared on the bridge for all to see. Yukina smiled and clapped at her success, but cleared her throat. "Hey everybody! All right, we've got some problems that we need to report, not to mention other little things."

~*~

Megumi was surprised to see Yukina on the screen in the cafeteria. "The hell?" Minato smiled. "I suppose she decided to do your job for you, since you weren't there." Megumi shrugged. "Just as well. I was getting kind of annoyed because I didn't have a back-up like everyone else."

Strangely enough, the pilot's table shushed the two women. This irked Megumi slightly, but she stayed focused on Yukina.

~*~

"Okay, here's the scoop. To sum it all up, we have no freaking clue where the Nadesico is right now." Yukina heard murmurs from what seemed like the entire ship. "Hey, shut up! I'm not done! Anyway, Miss Fressange doesn't want to Jump back, because she wants to make sure it's safe first, so we're going to travel in whatever direction we're going until we reach some kind of civilization. Yes, that may mean aliens." Yukina sighed as the murmurs started to go faster. "Miss Fressange is experimenting with the Jump computer, and she happens to think that it's leaking Boson particles everywhere, for some strange reason. She's not sure what this will do, to the ship, or us, but for now, just live with it. In fact, go on with the normalcy of your daily lives. Leave the worrying to the professionals, all right? No rioting in the halls please. Let's keep the atmosphere friendly. Thanks!" Yukina's face disappeared.

~*~

Ariko was surprised to see her so fidgety during her report. The relieved sigh after it affirmed his thoughts; she was dying of nervousness. The prince smiled at the older girl. "You did great!" Ruri nodded slowly. Yukina blushed slightly. "No, I completely screwed it up."

"I didn't think so." All present turned toward the new voice, surprised to see Megumi standing there now. Megumi smiled and leaned over her chair. "It was very laid-back, and easy to understand. And your voice projection was perfect. No stuttering or anything. Ariko's right, Yukina. You did great."

Yukina was blushing fiercely now. "I was so nervous, I thought I was stuttering!" Megumi giggled. "I was nervous during my first audition, and I ended up doing very well. Get over it, Yukina. You have a seiyuu's talent. And I seriously needed back up. You've got the job, as far as I'm concerned, Yukina."

Viktor Bros, called Prospector, one level up, started calculating figures on his advanced calculator. "That's true… it will be much more efficient if Miss Reinard has a back up as well. Yukina, you're officially Assistant Communications Officer."

~*~

After Yukina's announcement, Inez couldn't help but smile to herself. 'I notice that Yukina forgot the part about me NOT using the key right away. That's slightly amusing, not to mention good for me.' She took the gray panel out of her pocket and smiled at it. "Hello, Beautiful." With a flick of her wrist and a twinge of green light, Inez floated above the Jump computer, and softly landed on top of it. 'There. The slot.' Barely visible, a small slot the size of the panel in Inez's hand rested at the top of the computer. Inez smiled somewhat wicked as she positioned the key above the keyhole, prepared to push it in.

But she took a deep breath and floated down from the computer's top. 'I can't do something like this without thinking it through first. While it would, in essence, make Boson Jumping as normal as breathing for many people and dominate travel, as Erina has preached about for years, but it would also seal the fates of those who do not know they stand at a crossroads. It would make our ship a permanent Jump site, the particles never dissipating. And, in the end, could kill us all.' She placed the key back inside her pocket. 'Science makes easy decisions seem difficult. But… why would Juveus-sama tell me to give myself the key, if there wasn't a purpose to it? Perhaps she didn't want it to fall into the wrong hands.' Inez tapped her foot, before rising up again, this time just for the thrill of walking in midair. 'She may have been a priestess, but she was no prophet. I will not use the key for now, but there may come a time when I have to say "Fuck it" and stick it in. I just hope it will come much longer in the timeline.'

~*~

Yurika was just brushing her hair out when she heard a knock at her door. "Come in," called she, not bothering to move to see who it was. It was nearly 5 o'clock. She knew who it was.

Akito stood in the doorway of her bathroom, watching her brush her hair through the mirror. "Dinner, Yurika." Yurika nodded, but continued to brush her hair. "I know."

Akito sighed, rubbing his eyes. "Will you stop and come out here already? You're beautiful as it is!" Yurika's smile made him realize his words, but he didn't regret them. She turned to him, putting the brush down on the sink counter. Aqua green eyes met chocolate brown, and, though Yurika was smiling, she could sense something wrong in the air. 'What is this feeling? Is this sensation the Boson particles Miss Fressange was talking about? Or… something else?' She shivered slightly; the room was just pleasantly chilly, not offensively cold. She shivered from the thought that, maybe, somehow, something was wrong with her perfect little world right now.

Akito's naïve brown eyes expressed pure concern. "You okay?" Yurika took a shaky breath, the nodded. "Yeah. Just got a weird feeling that's all." Akito shrugged, and then wrapped an arm around her shoulders, leading her out of the room.

~*~

TBC…

~*~

A/N: So. Who's still reading this? *sees no one* Dammit! I knew I would push you people away! Fuck! Anyway. Woo. What's with the lack of pilots crap? I think they were my favorites? Well, they are, but they'll get so much airtime later in this fic, you'll be sick of them, so let's keep them to a minimum, alrighty? Yukina didn't get much dialogue at the end of TDoNtD, so I gave her something to do, something Ariko can praise her on. I don't know. Megumi is slowly but surely getting my screen-time, but she has to. She's important this time. Anyway, I'm sure those of you that… are no longer here… want more, so I'll get to work right away with more confusion, endless plot holes, and conflicts up the ass! Tell me what you think so far! Cya! 


	2. Relationships falter and grow

A/N: Well, let's get on with it. What happened last time? Um, the crew realized that they were lost in space, and were basically screwed. Inez is considering putting the key into the computer, though she knows of its disastrous results. Yurika is starting to sense things wrong when she's with Akito. Those are basically the main things… What will we see here? God only knows. Well, let's look and see what kind of trouble I can get us into today, shall we?

~*~

Uribatake was surprised to find Hikaru sitting on her Aestivalis's foot, armed with a sketchpad, the next morning. 'She said she wasn't going to come down here to just hang around any more…' Nevertheless, Uribatake raised a hand in greeting and yelled, "Hey!" Hikaru looked up from her drawing of an innocent schoolgirl and smiled at Uribatake. She waved back before returning to the sketch. Uribatake walked over and looked over her shoulder. "Hey, that's pretty good. Any reason for drawing her?" Hikaru nodded. "I figure that, since I have nothing better to do, I might as well start my own manga." She laid a skinny finger on the drawing. "This is Ryusaki Reina, smart, kind, and a teacher's pet." Hikaru fell silent and started drawing again, her red eyebrows furrowing.

The silence rang in Uribatake's ears, interrupted occasionally by a slight grunt and a murmur from Hikaru, talking to herself. Eventually, he heard her sigh, crumble the paper, and throw it in some direction. Uribatake turned away from his plans and glanced at the artist. "Trouble?"

Hikaru nodded slowly, then hopped off the robot's foot and sat on the floor, leaning against it. She picked the paper ball up again, and stared at it, examining the folds and edges. 'Something like a distressed, discolored rose.' She took a deep breath. "I don't know why I bother, anyway." Hikaru wasn't sure why she said that, but, as it caught Uribatake's attention, she couldn't bring herself to stop. She was like a shaken soda, and, once opened, she knew she was about to spew everywhere. "I mean, yeah, I'll admit it. I'm a good writer. I can draw pretty well. I guess I'm still bigheaded with my success of 'Under the Branches'. But… I just can't seem to do this correctly when I have too many things to think about."

Uribatake walked over to the yellow robot and crouched down next to the petite girl, the girl of many smiles, none of which graced her face now. The redhead continued, however, seemingly unaware of Uribatake's new position. "Itsuki and Ryoko are bickering like a married couple, and they make up the same way. I'm at a loss most days about who's speaking to who, who am I supposed to be mad at, all that. And then there's Izumi! The girl's so smart, but she's wasting her energy away pining for Miss Fressange, and she hasn't even noticed Izumi! I don't know why Izumi bothers; she has so many good things going for her, and dammit! If she wants lesbian sex, she knows I'd always say yes!" Hikaru threw the paper ball across the room in her rage, it going much farther this time. "And let's face it, Jun and Gai aren't taking this Akito-and-Yurika thing very well. I know, it seems like they're taking it nicely, but let's face it. Jun and Gai's favorite pastime now is to insult Akito and talk about how much of an ass he is! And all of US are trying to get Akito to hang out with us again, because we all feel the hole where that little bastard used to be. Gai gets so quiet sometimes… and he's been reading everything in sight, especially my things. I mean, Jesus, he's becoming as much of a bookworm as Izumi! And Jun… he doesn't think I know, but I do. He cries himself to sleep, every night. That's why I got him a teddy bear, you know? It was hard buying so many things off of the Howmei girls, but I wanted to give my friends good presents, you know? To set the bar and crud. And I didn't even get to give Akito his present! I was going to give him a collage, from copies of all our pictures, but he never wants to talk to me anymore." A single tear dripped off Hikaru's cheek. "It's like, I've lost one of my best friends, and only because I was friends with both of them. But why must I carry all the baggage? Is it because I worry too much about my friends?" Hikaru ripped her glasses off her face and covered her eyes with one hand, pulling her knees up to her chest. "Is it so wrong to love those who understand me so much?" whispered she, before giving way to sobs.

Uribatake wrapped the weeping girl in his arms, surprised that she let all this out. 'She holds it all in until she bursts. And she just burst.' Hikaru gripped the fabric of Uribatake's jacket and sobbed into his shoulder, not even caring that this was the married man that suggested that he had a crush on her. The man whose feelings she secretly reciprocated. Uribatake was at a loss at what to do, not used to comforting women in depression, so he just patted the redhead's back and shushed her until she slowed her crying. It was only then that she pulled away and, after wiping her face with her sleeve, replaced her glasses. She took a deep breath, and turned to Uribatake and smiled broadly. "Thanks Uri-P! I really, really needed that." She stood and walked out of the hangar bay, but not before turning and waving goodbye.

Uribatake smiled, but raised his eyebrows. 'Is that what she meant, by people understanding her? The fact that she lugs around everyone's problems as her own, and hides them behind her pretty smile? Very strange.' Uribatake walked back into his office and glanced over his plans. 'Strange, but very noble.'

~*~

For the past week, Izumi had been spending her afternoons in Inez's lab, listening to her ramble about her latest experiment proudly. Izumi mostly went there for "therapy", but everyone knew she wanted Inez to notice her.

Izumi stopped at the door and knocked twice before entering. She had been such a regular; Inez must have known that, at this time of day, it was the quiet pilot.

Inez glanced down at the door from her perch on the air. "Shit." 'I've forgotten about Izumi's daily visits around now. Damn.' She closed her laptop and lowered herself to the ground, not caring for discretion around Izumi. The pilot's jaw dropped when she discovered Inez floating on air, but quickly regained her composure as she realized that Inez must have lowered the gravity in this room. 'Yes, that must be it. But why is my hair not going every which way?'

Inez's metal shoes came in contact with the floor, and she walked with ease to the desk, and set her laptop on it. Izumi made a cautious step toward the desk, minding that the gravity had been lowered, but became confused at how easily it was to walk. 'The gravity hasn't been lowered, but how…' "How did you do that, Miss Fressange?"

"Please, Izumi. How many times must I tell you? You may call me Inez. Or Ai, if you wish. Miss Fressange is what those tight-asses at Nergal call me." She opened the computer again and started typing at an alarming rate. Izumi walked, still cautious of a supposed gravity fluctuation, towards the desk, and jumped onto it, sitting right next the small computer.

"I'm sorry, Inez. But you're avoiding my question. How did you do that? Did you change the gravity from your communicator or something?"

"Magic."

Izumi chuckled. "I never would have seen you as the humoring type, Inez. But seriously, how did you do it?"

Inez blinked, but didn't smile. "I told you. Magic."

Izumi sighed, and started swinging her legs off the edge of the table. "Fine, don't tell me. God forbid the great Inez Fressange explain something to someone."

Inez glanced at the younger girl, and then continued typing her evaluation of Jumping. "If you don't believe me, I suppose the explanation would have to wait for another day. I have a question to ask you, Izumi. If you had the ability to Boson Jump, would you? Especially under our circumstances as they stand now."

Izumi shrugged. "Most likely. If you have the ability, use it, I say." Inez nodded, thoughtful. "Do you think Akito, Kanchou, or Yukina would have the same view?" Izumi blinked. "Yukina?"

Inez nodded. "She can Jump as well. Or didn't you know that?" She smiled slightly at the pilot. Izumi's eyebrows gathered and she ran a hand through her bangs. "No, I guess I never thought about it. But Jumping is how she got to the Nadesico in the first place, isn't it?" Izumi scratched her chin, in deep thought. "Yukina… after her becoming Assistant Comm Officer, I wouldn't be surprised if she did. But, she doesn't seem to be very interested in Jumping. She seems more into her own life, then scientific research. Kanchou… she's more relaxed about it now, but you knew that. She probably does think the same way, with her not-liking-to-fight, but I'm gonna do it anyway approach." Izumi made a face. "Akito. The most used saying in reference to him nowadays is 'Fuck him.'" She giggled softly before continuing. "Anyway… I don't think he does. He's been against piloting for as long as I've known him, but he is DAMN good at it. So… I don't think he would be randomly Jumping to get around. That is why you asked, right?"

It took a moment for Inez to realize Izumi asked a question, but nodded after she switched out of listen mode. "Interesting. Thank you for your insight, Izumi. You've just helped me make an important decision." Izumi nodded, hopped off the desk and left.

Inez tapped the table for a moment, thinking. 'Damn, I should have asked what she thought Omoikane would do. Well, then again, she probably wouldn't know. Damn my arrogance. I should have known better than to use my abilities so indiscreetly. It will be all over the ship by tomorrow, the fact that I can use it. Damn damn damn. Well. Can't cry over split milk. I suppose I know a new subject for my next experiment. We shall see if Omoikane can do what the Jupiterians and Martians can, for he is not human.'

~*~

It was when walking back to her room, holding hands with him, that Yurika felt the odd feeling again. It felt wrong, but she didn't know why. She bit her lip and stopped walking, her hand slipping out of Akito's. The cook turned around to face the woman he had fallen in love with. "Is there something wrong, Yurika? You've been acting funny lately." Yurika nodded. "I know, it's just… I keep getting this feeling… like something is wrong. I just don't want to worry you. Especially since you're going on your first piloting mission since the Jump tomorrow." Akito smiled at her. "Yurika, I'm gonna be worried about you until we get locked into a padded room in straight jackets, and then I'm gonna worry more. I know I can't do a damn thing about it, but you can't kill me for caring, can you?"

Yurika grinned before wrapping her arms around his neck. "And people wondered why I fell for you so hard."

~*~

The mission briefing the next morning was not pleasant, to say the least. Hikaru was slightly sleepy, getting little sleep, as usual. Ryoko was pissed off at the world. Itsuki seemed ready to just break down and cry, or kill someone, whatever came first. Izumi was so thoughtful; she actually got caught not paying attention, three times. Gai was so silent; people almost forgot he was there. Akito sat on the absolute other side of the room, and seemed rather peeved himself about having to take a piloting job.

Goat Hory, Head of Security, cleared his throat. "This is going to be just a routine check. Just stay within Energy Transfer range and name anything you see that could determine our location. We will compare these descriptions with previously chartered star maps. You have one hour."

As the pilots walked in silence toward the hangar bay, the women kept exchanging glances that made many messages, ranging from 'Wow, this is uncomfortable' to 'Say a word and I will personally rip your head off.'

Communications were kept to a minimum as well. You would never be able to tell that this group used to be very good friends, instead of a group of friends and one person.

"I got some asteroids over here, just a few though. Mostly just space dust. Interesting formation of stars though. It looks almost like a triangle with two hairs."

"Blue and red nebulae, none of which I'd ever heard of. And I see the formation, it looks more like a pair of lips."

"Um, I think I've got a planet."

The last transmission was from Gai. The entire bridge erupted in exclamations of excitement. "Displaying on screen," announced Omoikane. Sure enough, it was a small, blue and green planet that was very similar to Earth. Much smaller, however, and it looked about as far from the Nadesico as Mars was to Earth.

Yurika smiled. "Jackpot. Set course for the planet, Minato! Omoikane, recall the Aestivalises. We found what we were looking for."

On the lower section of the bridge, Akatsuki turned to Inez. "Why do you have a feeling you knew about this planet all along?" The woman smiled at her own childhood friend. "Because I did."

Akatsuki sighed. "I suppose Erina was right. You do have a thirst for chaos." Inez's smiled faltered. "She said that about me? How strange."

~*~

Yurika greeted Akito at the hangar bay, leaving Jun in her place once again. It seemed like she spent more time off the bridge, than on. In any case, she was very happy to see Akito, as usual. When he reached the ground floor, she nearly bowled him over with a tight hug. Akito laughed a bit before kissing the older woman. Yurika's eyes widened as he deepened the kiss, and she came to a terrible realization. It was so sudden she immediately pulled away and out of the arms of her boyfriend. She took a few steps back, breathing heavily.

Akito's eyebrows were knit. "What the hell is the matter with you, Yurika?" Yurika shook her head, her green orbs widening even more still. "I… I don't know Akito. I just don't know. I… I'll see you later, okay?" She bolted out of the hangar just as fast as she came in. The truth was, she knew what was wrong. And it certainly wasn't a fluctuation of Boson particles.

'Why is it that when I'm with Akito, sharing affections with him, I feel so dirty?'

~*~

The other pilots noticed Yurika's sudden escape. Itsuki gave a half-smile at the amusing scene before raising her eyebrows. "Trouble in paradise?" Ryoko seemed much more calm than she was earlier that morning. She placed a hand at Itsuki's hip, smiling at the scene as well. "That's so predictable."

Gai glanced over indiscreetly, but accidentally caught Akito's eyes. Akito glared at his former boyfriend, and Gai found himself doing the same. But he also perceived hurt within the chocolate brown orbs. 'Kanchou hurt his feelings?' Gai was immediately disgusted with his concern, even if it was in his thoughts. 'Who cares? He made a choice.' Gai walked on with all his female friends toward the cafeteria, congratulating each other on a job well done.

~*~

TBC…

~*~

A/N: Ok. Now who's still here? Okay, I put in many intriguing thingies this time. I got to indulge in my Hikaru and Uri-P side… I showed that Inez knows as much as me about the whole thing, and I added more pilots' things in general… What's this with Yurika? Can't tell you. ^^ Anyway, this is it and I'll right more eventually. Need to gather thoughts… Review as always please! 


	3. Just a regular soap opera

A/N: Hey-lo y'all. Well, since I have nothing better to do this morning, I'll get started on this! ^^ Whee! News! Yeah, anyway. Sorry, still on this hyperness. Yeah. Anyway, what do I see here. I see covering of other people that we haven't gone in depth with yet, Inez's experiment, and strange happenings. I'm psychic, you see. ^^ Anyway, let's get to it, shall we?

~*~

Inez turned to the two children. "Are you ready, Ruri? Omoikane?" Ruri nodded slowly; Omoikane mirrored it. The doctor nodded as well, turned her back to them. Akatsuki cleared his throat, getting Inez's attention. "Yes?"

"I was just wondering, why are you using Omoikane? Wouldn't this work much better with Kanchou, Tenkawa, or that Jovian girl?"

Inez smirked, her own mysteriousness amusing her. "It should work. That's why." Akatsuki rolled his brown eyes. "You're loving the fact that nobody knows what the hell is going on, don't you?" Inez smiled. "All right Omoikane, I want you to visualize Ruri's seat on the bridge. Ruri, place the picture in his head."

Ruri clapped her hands on the nanomachine console immediately and, the trademark electric blue lights traced the linings of her eyes. The electric blue lights jumped from Ruri's eyes to Omoikane's, giving the robot boy a distant look. Ariko, to the side, and deeply involved with the experiment, ran all the scanners on the hangar area. "Jump field stabilizing."

Inez nodded, watching the experiment unfold. "Remember to only abort the process on my word, Ariko. Hopefully it won't come to that."

Ruri looked just as lost in the moment as Omoikane, not blinking for at least two full minutes. Thirty seconds later, white lines formed on Omoikane's body and Ruri's, surprisingly. Inez's eyes flashed. 'Ruri's not supposed to light up… she's not the one Jumping.' Ariko bit his lip. "Jump field faltering, Miss Fressange!"

Inez crossed her arms. "Abort!" Ariko pushed the canceling button. Recognition formed in Omoikane's eyes once again, gaining control of himself. Ruri slumped over the console, breathing heavily. Inez stood, tapping her foot on the floor. 'So, not even machines can Jump if those that control them are not of Martian or Jupiterian decent. Which explains how the Jovians were able to send robots and unmanned ships to us. They were being manned. Only from a distance.'

Akatsuki bit his lip, thinking about what had gone on before him. 'Inez could be of my family. She has all the traits. Ambitious, not letting anything get in her way. She is a child of Nergal, after all. I know I should be upset about her using children as test subjects, but what are the Nadesico children, if not young adults?'

~*~

"That fucking BITCH!"

The loud outburst made Gai glance over to the metallic door calmly, sipping his coffee. "Well, good morning to you, Itsuki." The purple-haired girl stomped over to the table and dropped her violin case on it with a clatter, and threw her body on the bench, scowling and balling her fists under her chin.

Gai sighed as her put his cup down on the table and pulled the violin case off, setting it on the bench next to him. "Well? What is it this time?"

"That… GIRL says she doesn't want me to even attempt to enhance her little song because 'it's fine the way it is'! Jesus! Does she really think artists do everything themselves?" Itsuki pounded a fist on the table, making the coffee in Gai's cup slosh over the top.

"Hey hey hey! Dammit!" Gai ran off to get some napkins to clean up the mess. When he came back, Itsuki had her violin case open and was digging out sheets of music, laying them on the table, away from the spill. Gai put the napkins down on the puddle and glanced at the papers. "And this is…?"

Itsuki pointed to the less marked paper. "This is Regret, the way we heard it first at the pageant." She lovingly petted a much more complex looking piece. "This is Regret with my professional modifications." She held out both papers for Gai to evaluate.

Gai's blinked twice. "Itsuki, don't be a retard. You know that trying to read this crap is like me trying to read English. It just isn't gonna happen." He pushed Itsuki's hands away, and she scowled at him before taking her violin out of the case and put the papers underneath it before replacing it.

"As a generality, violin and piano are usually used together, giving both a bold and detailed sense to a song. I was just trying to make it more complex! And, Jesus! If I can't share my passion for music with my girlfriend, who the fuck am I GOING to share it with?"

Gai's eyebrows knit. "So you're only doing this to have something to talk about together, and to have something to do together?" Itsuki sneered. "Duh." Gai tapped his temple. "So why the fuck are you mad at her again?"

~*~

Someone knocking on her door awoke Yurika. It was about a half-hour before she really had to get up, but she crawled out of bed to answer the door anyway. She pulled her silk aqua green nightgown down, just to make sure she didn't flash whoever was at the door and pushed the open button, yawning.

Ryoko stood there, dressed in her red and black uniform already, biting her lip and wringing her hands. "Um, Kanchou… I'm sorry, did I wake you?"

Yurika nodded slowly as she finished off the yawn, then shook her head. "Yeah, but hey. Who cares? If you're already awake, then maybe I should too." She scratched her head, her nails getting somewhat caught in the overnight tangles in her blue-violet hair. "Did you want something, Ryoko?"

A coppery taste filled Ryoko's mouth, as she realized she was biting her lip just a bit too hard, and broke open one of her scabs. 'Damn.' "Well… could I talk to you Kanchou? I kind of… need to talk to someone who doesn't know what the fuck is going on." Yurika turned back into her room and sat down on her bed, smoothing out her nightgown and rubbing her eyes. She patted the bed afterwards, gesturing for Ryoko to sit next to her. She appeared much more awake than a moment ago. Ryoko stepped slowly into the room, a bit worried that she might give the wrong impression to the captain of their ship. She sat down just as slowly, but Yurika seemed very patient at the time. It was only when Ryoko had relaxed slightly that Yurika tilted her head at the younger girl in question. "What's the matter, Ryoko?"

Ryoko sighed, and then collapsed backwards onto Yurika's disheveled sheets, stretching her arms behind her. "Why does Itsuki have to be so fucking bossy? I mean, shit, just because she took music lessons from professionals, teachers, and just because she was in Strategic Sim when she was in Pilot's School doesn't mean she can insult me! I'm the best damn pilot this rusted bucket of a ship has, and she's taking all the fucking spotlight. I didn't care much when it was Akito, you know, but Jesus H. Christ, when my girlfriend decides to take MY song, the song I wrote when I was a child, part of MY history, and tries to change it, that's crossing the goddamn line." Ryoko stomped a foot, sending a slight tremor in Yurika's cabin floor. Yurika lay down, resting her hands on her stomach. "I know that song means a lot to you, but that isn't all of it, is it?"

Ryoko shook her head. "I know I shouldn't get jealous, but sometimes… the way she looks at everyone else… She's already established that wouldn't say no to a roll in the hay with Izumi, Hikaru, the Howmei girls, hell, she even thinks you're hot!" Yurika smiled, amused. "I find that funny at least." A shadow in Ryoko's tone made her realize that Yurika had stuff to get off her chest as well. Ryoko rolled onto her side and propped her head up on one hand. "What's wrong with you?"

Yurika took a shaky breath, pushing away any tears she still had. "It's… strange. But ever since we found that planet, and started heading for it, I keep getting these bad feelings. I don't get them often, but mostly when I'm with Akito." She bit her lip, wondering why she was baring her soul to Ryoko, a one-time rival. "I don't know what it is… but… I feel, kind of… wrong when I'm with him."

"Wrong? Are you two fighting? Because if you are, the only thing I have to say is damn. Everyone's love life is in the shitter." Yurika quickly shook her head. "No, we aren't fighting, but I know Akito is upset for me keeping this from him. You know as well as I do that he hates being the last to know anything." Ryoko nodded, slipped her hand out from under her head and leaning it against her arm. "I don't know how to describe the feeling. It's almost like guilt, but I know I haven't done anything wrong at all. But, somehow, I know that I'm doing something wrong. I feel dirty, perverted, almost like a child-molester. Why do you think that is, Ryoko?" Aqua green eyes caught stormy blue, and Ryoko took a moment to think.

"Maybe it's your inner self trying to tell you something." Yurika sighed. "Like what? That it's wrong for someone to love him the way I do?" Ryoko shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe. This sounds like one of these things you gotta figure out yourself, because no one's going to know the right answer but you."

Yurika smiled, then looked at the ceiling again. "Ryoko? What made you come to me for answers?" Ryoko shrugged. "I figured you wouldn't be so opinionated as everyone else would. Nor are you so obsessed with yourself that you won't listen to anyone else."

Yurika giggled. "I can think of some people who would disagree." Ryoko shook her head. "No. Kanchou, I found out that you weren't only concerned for yourself when we were in limbo. Remember?" Yurika nodded, her smile still lingering.

Ryoko's black eyebrows furrowed, and she frowned up at the ceiling. "But, I have to ask, Kanchou. Don't you think it was selfish of you hurt Jun like that?"

Yurika looked away from the ceiling. "Yes… I know that it was probably, well, not very nice. But he'll always be my best friend, even if it is plainly obvious that he loves me." Ryoko nodded. "Hikaru and Izumi have the same thing going on, but at least they both have other people. But sometimes it's horrible, seeing him at breakfast looking like he hadn't gotten a wink of sleep."

Yurika sighed, sat up, and wrapped her arms around herself. "I know it's cruel, and not fair to Jun. He's gone through so much of my shit, I know. But I believe that when it comes to relationships, you should always be selfish. Think about yourself, you know." She turned to Ryoko, who still lay on the bed. "Is that wrong?"

Ryoko shook her head and sat up too. "It's not wrong, just different. Then again… some people probably are born to be alone. Izumi thought so for a while. Perhaps it's true for Jun as well."

Yurika nodded slowly. Ryoko got up and bowed to the captain. "Thanks for listening to my problems." Yurika smiled brightly. "No need. You listened to mine, after all."

~*~

Jun was sitting on his bed in his cabin, when there came a knock on his door. He didn't even look up as he called, "Come in."

Gai stepped into the dark room, and wasn't surprised to find Jun attached to his bed and his nose and face making love to yet another tissue. "Shit, Jun. You cry anymore and you're going to die of dehydration." Jun sniffed, apparently not amused by the sad attempt to make him laugh. Gai groaned. "Goddamn. You need to stop doing this in private. What kind of pitiful statement would you make to her if you don't make a scene at dinner or something?" He sat down next to the older, shorter man and wrapped an arm around his shoulder. Jun pulled his knees to his chest and allowed himself to be held, feeling comforted by one of his best friends, on of his only friends.

"Why does it hurt so much?" The question caught Gai by surprise. 'Didn't I ask the same thing…' "Why does it hurt so much, though I knew it was coming? It was as if I saw the bullet coming towards me, but I couldn't, didn't want to dodge it." Jun met Gai's brown eyes with his dark blue. "Did I do this to myself?"

Gai shook his head. "No, Junny. It had nothing to do with you. Yurika's stupid for not realizing how lucky she is to be loved by you, no matter how many stupid mistakes she makes. You're a beautiful person inside, don't let her kill that because of that stupid Martian."

Silence engulfed them both, and it took Gai a while to realize that each was falling into their own thoughts. 'That stupid Martian… he's ruined so many lives, dashed so many hopes… does he even care what he does to people? Does he know that, even though I'm always going on about how much of a prick and an asshole he is, I still love him? That it strangles my heart to see him with someone like Yurika? I know I should be happy for him, but how can I when he's made me hurt so much, made all of us hurt so much?'

"Fucker…" whispered the youngest pilot, then pulled his arm away from Jun, who had been much too quiet for the past few minutes. As soon as Gai moved, Jun fell unceremoniously onto his bed, breathing evenly, but not raggedly. Gai smiled and shook his head. 'Cried himself to sleep. Again.'

~*~

TBC…

~*~

A/N: Is anyone else getting sick of drama? Shit, I know I am. But the first part of this is nothing but, because the rest will be very… not-so-drama-y. Anyway. Even though there was extreme drama, how was it? Rather, how sickening was it? Well, you all know the drill, review me please. I'll deliver the next chapter as soon as I can, or feel up to it. Frankly, I think I'm spitting these out rather well. I'm a fanfic factory! ^^ 


	4. Fights are no longer verbal on this ship

A/N: Oh… this is gonna suck. Damn my writer's block and lack of anything better to do! Anyway… I can already tell you, this is not a happy chapter. Lots of not-happy Akito and Gai stuff. Yeah. Alright, recap. What happened last time? Hmm, lots of bonding. Yeah, I'm fully aware that this Author's note is really… fucked, but who cares, yes? Anyway, let's get this poor piece of shit started. 

~*~

Akito was slightly surprised to find Yurika up so early, but greeted her with a smile. "Yurika, what are you doing up?" He couldn't help but notice the slight darkening under her green eyes, but stepped out of the way to let her into the room. Closer scrutiny showed that her eyes were red, as if she had just got done crying, but she had a clam smile across her face. Yurika turned to her boyfriend. "We need to talk."

'Oh shit. What did I do?' Akito may have only gone out with two other people, Megumi and Gai, but it didn't take a genius to realize he was in deep shit when those four words leave the mouth of a significant other. 'Fuck.' Akito sat down on the new beanbag chair he had borrowed from Megumi, who was much nicer to him since he started going with Yurika.

Yurika sat down on Akito's futon, facing the cook. "Akito, I don't feel comfortable in this relationship." Akito rubbed his temples. "Why am I not surprised? Okay, Yurika. How did I fuck up? What did I do?"

The captain of the Nadesico shook her head. "It's not you, it's… Well, Akito, I'm not going to lie to you. It is you." She held up her hand as Akito parted his lips to speak. "Shut up for a minute, will you? God you talk too much. And no, that's not it. The fact is Akito, something is wrong here. I still love you, you know. But… I feel so guilty and dirty and just plain WRONG when I'm with you."

"So what are you saying?" Akito's voice was completely monotone, and the room was growing colder by the second. Yurika shuddered. "Fact of the matter is, Akito, I feel like… Well. You remember when you told me you loved me?" Yurika dared to meet Akito's eyes, and was hurt to find the tears at the corners of his eyes. 'The show must go on.' Akito nodded slowly. Yurika took a deep breath. "You told me that it was the side of you that loved Gekiganger was the same side that was in love with me. Didn't you say that it was childish of you to love an anime so passionately?" Yurika shook her head, her gaze dropping to the floor between them. "In essence, you said that it was the child within you that loved me, not the adult you are now."

"What the hell does that have to do with anything?" Akito's voice cracked and the room became even colder. Yurika felt her nose start to grow numb. She shook her head, meeting his eyes once again. "I knew this from when we Jumped from Mars to here, Akito. It just took me so long to realize what it was I was feeling. I feel guilty and dirty because… I'm in love with a child. You."

Akito ran out of his own room, some of his tears falling to the floor. Yurika balled her fists in her lap. 'You are but a child, Akito. And it makes me feel so wrong to love you. But I want the adult in you as well, and I just can't have it. It will always be the child. I love you, but just not the same way anymore. You're like my little brother, now. Why couldn't I say it to his face? Why did he have to leave early?' She reached to the floor and felt one of the wet spots, from Akito's crying. She wasn't very surprised to find it frozen.

~*~

Gai rolled his eyes as Hikaru and Izumi joined their breakfast group. "Hikaru, I think you forgot that we're supposed to wear a uniform…" Izumi sighed and took her seat next to Itsuki. "Just don't ask…"

Hikaru pulled on one of her pigtails, which were actually pretty long. Her hair seemed short the way she did it everyday, with the curled ends, but when she put it up, it showed that it was at least a little longer than they thought. "It's a very funny story, really. Hasn't anyone else realized that if we don't wear our uniforms, no one is going to care? I mean, we're in the middle of fucking nowhere, so who gives a fuck about if we all wear our uniforms? Besides, it'll get Akatsuki's granny-panties in a twist, and frankly, I really want to see him turn purple." Izumi was getting up to get some coffee, but Hikaru noticed her start to move. "Hey, Izumi-chan, get me a crumb bun will you?" Izumi sighed and nodded, on her way to the ordering counter.

Itsuki squinted, trying to read Hikaru's black shirt. "'Popularity is overrated'? The hell?" Ryoko smirked. "I remember that shirt. Didn't you get it-"

"When Izumi was a popular ho? You bet." Hikaru grinned at her best friend, who had returned in time just to hear the comment. "Oh hell no. You don't get breakfast for that." Izumi kept the Styrofoam plate, with the bun on it, in front of her, out of Hikaru's reach.

"No! Bitch! Gimme my food!" Hikaru's thin arms shot out towards the other end of the table, knocking over Gai's full cup of coffee straight into his lap.

"ITAI!" shouted the youngest pilot, jumping out of his seat and grabbing napkins. Hikaru's brown eyes got as wide as saucers and her jaw dropped. She grabbed the entire pile of napkins and started cleaning off his crotch as well. "Oh, shit, Gai, I'm so fucking sorry, I didn't mean it, honest. God, I hope there's no permanent damage, lawyers are evil rats, oh hell…"

Itsuki stood from her perch on the bench, leaning over the table to evaluate the damage. "Calm down Hikaru. He's gonna live to masturbate again. It was just a little burn." Ryoko grinned. "Look on the bright side, Gai, at least you have an actually excuse to not be getting any sex." Itsuki glared at her girlfriend. "And my excuse is-"

"Knock it off!" yelled Izumi, glaring at the two women. "Wait until we're not all together, all right? I'm sick of you people at each other's throats every five seconds."

Hikaru smiled, once she got over her initial shock of dumping coffee on Gai's groin. "Wow, Gai-chan. This is probably the closest a girl has come to you, isn't it?" She grinned up at the taller man, who glared at her. "And it's the closest any girl is gonna get." Itsuki smirked at her childhood friend. "Jiro finally admitted it. He's as gay as I am."

Gai rolled his eyes. "And if it's anyone's fault for making me switch teams, it's you, Itsuki." He headed in the direction in the bathroom, looking over his shoulder to see Itsuki blow him a kiss. He flipped her off as he pushed the door open.

Gai was very surprised to find Akito in the cafeteria men's bathroom, scrubbing his face until it was read and muttering, "Damn the air conditioners on this boat…" Gai felt his anger bubbling up, just by looking at his ex, but said nothing, wetting some paper towels and tried to get whatever stain would end up being on his pants out.

Akito heard the door open and close, and someone else in the bathroom, but he didn't care who it was. He was intent in getting rid of the ice trails on his face, rubbing at them with paper towels until his face grew red. He brought a finger to each eye and blinked several times, feeling more salty wetness flow from them. Setting his contacts down on a paper towel, he brought another of the brown sheets to his nose, blowing it.

It was only when Akito balled up his multitude of paper towels and started in the direction of the garbage can that he realized the person in the bathroom with him was Gai. Or, at least, he thought it was Gai. Akito's relatively large eyes were squinted in attempts to identify the red and black blob.

Gai threw his own paper towels into the garbage before turning back to the Martian and placing his hands on his hips. "Are you going to glare at me some more, or are you going to whine to me about what's wrong?" Akito lowered his head, and, trembling, pulled a thin pair of glasses out of his pocket and slid them onto his face before examining the man before him again. "I'm… I'm sorry…" Akito could feel another round of crying rising in his throat, but he swallowed harshly, and started to leave the bathroom, frantic to not be alone with this person. He didn't need anyone's sympathy but his own.

Gai caught his arm however, not letting him leave so easily. Gai easily spun him, forcing the Martian to face the Earthling. "Well? What the fuck is your problem?" Gai suddenly felt the temperature in the room drop, but he was also energized, as if someone put new batteries in him.

Akito glared at his former boyfriend from behind his thin metal frames. "What business is it of yours?" he spat, his sadness melting into raging anger at the person who once loved him.

"What makes you think you can just abandon us because you're with Yurika? It makes sense that you don't want to talk to me, but why cut them off? Hell, do you realize that you haven't a friend in the world now, except that bitch? Even fucking Hikaru hates you, she's tried so hard to get you to come back to our little group, but you just keep rubbing it in her face. She couldn't care less if you died right now! And neither do I!" Gai was silenced by a slap from the much smaller man before him.

Akito stood defiant and lowered his hand, sadistically satisfied with the red hand mark across Gai's cheek. Gai glared at the cook before punching him, a small spatter of blood falling onto one of the white walls around them. Akito retaliated, kicking Gai in the stomach with this newfound hardness. Gai lost his breath for a moment, but was able to regain concentration as he wrapped his hands around Akito's neck, wringing his throat. Akito tried to pull Gai's large hands off his neck, scratching at the arms and wrists attached, drawing blood that stained onto the yellow of Akito's uniform.

Gai gritted his teeth as he shook Akito like a rag doll. "You hurt us. You hurt us all, you bastard. You hurt me. You fucking hurt me. Who gave you any fucking permission to hurt me? You asshole, answer me!" He shook Akito a bit too hard and made him hit his head against the wall. It was only then that the temperature rose from below freezing in the bathroom and Gai loosened his grip on the Martian's neck. Akito's eyes rolled back into his head and, without Gai's hands holding him up, he slumped to the floor, unconscious.

Gai's brown eyes widened and he shook his head, disbelieving. 'I… I attacked him. Oh god, how could I do such a thing? Do I really hate him so? Oh, I don't. I don't, god. I love him, but I hate him at the same time. He hurts me and I hurt him back. How can that be justified?' Gai felt sick, but he had to tell someone. He covered his mouth with his hand and ran out of the bathroom.

In the cafeteria, his friends, including Jun, now, were standing around, waiting. "What took so fucking long?" asked Itsuki, hugging Ryoko from behind. 'They made up while I…' Gai swallowed harshly. "Akito needs help…"

Jun snorted. "You're damn right he does. Mental help, I mean of course." Hikaru smiled sadly at yet another insulting joke in Akito's direction. Hikaru caught Gai's eyes, and she was puzzled at the naked fear in the gray-brown irises. "Gai-chan? What's wrong?"

Gai shook his head, his eyes wide. "I… He's in the bathroom… I hurt him." He whispered, realizing how ugly his deed was. 'To attack him…'

Jun's eyebrows jumped to his hairline, but he walked calmly into the men's bathroom, intent on finding out just what the hell Gai was talking about. Ryoko turned the man that was a close friend to her girlfriend and lover. "What happened?"

Gai opened his mouth to speak, but was interrupted by a shout from Jun in the bathroom. "Bloody FUCK!" All those present ran towards the bathroom, all but Gai, who walked slowly, staring at the floor and cursing himself.

They found Jun kneeling on the floor next to a glasses-bearing, placid Akito. He was checking the Martian's pulse and, within finding it, looked up at the younger man. "What the fuck happened, Gai?"

Gai just stood there, shaking his head, trying to speak but finding that he could not. Izumi could sense the pure fear emanating from him; she just shook her head sadly. None of them were too happy with Akito, but none of them had ever actually tried to hurt him. She also knew that Gai wouldn't have knocked Akito out either, if he were actually thinking. The man in question was shaking uncontrollably, frightened out of his mind. Izumi reached up and patted his shoulder, shaking her head.

Itsuki was the only one who had her head running in the right direction after seeing Akito. She turned her communicator to Inez. "Miss Fressange?"

~*~

Inez was just finishing her evaluation of her experiment with Ruri and Omoikane when Itsuki's serious face appeared in a window before her. "Miss Fressange?"

Inez didn't move her line of sight. "Yes, Kazamo-san?" Inez certainly wasn't in the mood to listen to people's problems. She had problems of her own, thank you.

"Akito's unconscious. We need a doctor or someone down here." No sooner had the sentence left Itsuki's mouth, a green flash of light appeared in the cafeteria and Inez was behind them.

Izumi gave her a funny look. "I thought you specifically said no Jumping?" Inez shook her head, pushing past them into the bathroom. "I have no qualms about endangering myself. Now," she looked Akito over, "what the hell happened to him?"

Gai bit his lip and held his hand up. Inez glanced at the pilot, but her jaw actually dropped when she saw that his hand was covered in blood. "Jesus Fucking Christ!" Gai gazed at his hand, puzzled by the blood that covered it. He rolled up his sleeve with the other bloodied hand to show that it came from the long scratches that zigzagged along both arms. Inez looked over her glasses at the tallest pilot. "I want to see you in the infirmary as well. Be a dear and get Ruri for me. I'll need her again." She smiled reassuringly at him, and pulled Akito in her arms and, in a flash of green, Jumped him to the infirmary.

Gai started walking quickly to the bridge, and all the other pilots stood in the cafeteria. Breakfast was long over, but they still stayed in the room that had come to be called by them, the breakfast room.

Ryoko shook her head slowly. "Wow." Hikaru plopped into her seat at their table. "Well, now, that had to be the most sobering moment of the year. Or at least this month." Itsuki sat down slowly, contemplating something. Jun raised his eyebrows at Itsuki's expression. "What?"

Itsuki blinked. "Huh? Oh, just thinking…" Her purple eyebrows knit. "Didn't anyone else think it was strange that Miss Fressange Jumped Akito to the infirmary? After she just said she didn't care about endangering herself? Didn't she just put Akito in jeopardy?"

Izumi shook her head. "I don't know Inez would do that, but since the Jump, she's been obsessed with it. Figuring out what they could do with it, the long-term effects." Hikaru furrowed her brow. "Since when were you on first-name terms with her?" Izumi shrugged. "Since the Jump."

Jun gasped, something coming into realization. "Akito had been crying!" he shouted. Ryoko gave him a puzzled look. "Yeah, Jun. Most people would cry if they're getting the shit beat out of them." Jun shook his head, his longish blue hair smacking his forehead. "No, no, no, no, no, he was crying before that! Tear stains, red eyes, the whole bit! But," he bit his lip, "I wonder why…"

~*~

TBC…

~*~

A/N: Wow… that was not happy. At all… Anyway. I had been seeing that about to happen for a while, so I suppose you did too. It explains why Yurika's been acting funny lately, at least, yes? Sorry for all the Akito-literal-bashing, but oh well. Drama can be fun when the true plot hasn't even reared its ugly head yet. Anyway, the plot/conflict WILL be showing up soon… within the next chapter or so… but anyway. Keep in mind anything strange that has happened, for you will be surprised. All right, as always, review me please, and I hope you'll still stick around to read it! 


	5. The Calm before the Storm

A/N: Hi… Yeah, I'm fully aware of the fact that the last chapter had mostly only one huge part to it, and frankly, I don't care. That scene has been rolling around in my head for… two days, I think. Anyway. This chapter… A little happier, but not so happy you want to die from the sugar. Just enough to lighten the mood a bit. Granted, it may not go in the direction that I wish it, for it might go downhill. That's what happens when you're running on caffeine, sushi, oatmeal cookies, and negative energy. Anyway, let's get this started.

~*~

Ruri opened her eyes to find that the bruise on the youngest pilot's stomach as still existent, but much fainter. 'It will probably still be sore, but not so much as it would have been.' She turned from Gai, under sedation, and to Akito, intent on removing the bruises from his face before his neck.

Inez sat near Gai, cleaning and bandaging his arms. "Why didn't you close these up?" Ruri closed her eyes in concentration. "Because I want to leave some reminder of… whatever happened today. These are no ordinary injuries." Inez smirked. "You're becoming quite the nurse, Ruri-chan."

Ruri's eyes reopened and she lowered her hands from Akito's head. She turned to the Martian scientist. "Miss Fressange, why do you have me do this? How does holding my hands over an injury and concentrating on making it no longer there help those with the injury?" Inez smiled as she examined the purple marks on Akito's neck. "Surely you must feel something as we draw ever closer to…" Inez chuckled.

Ruri sighed. "Miss Fressange, you've been mysterious ever since the Nadesico's Jump from Mars. You've also known about every single thing that has happened thus far, sometimes before it happened at all. You know much more than you are letting on. Now, will you please explain why is it that I have the power to heal?"

Inez's gray-blue eyes widened, and blinked several times. She certainly didn't expect such an outburst from the computer operator. She regained her composure, however, and smiled. "Ruri, you have the power to heal because you are a Messenger of Life. I cannot explain further until I get help from someone more qualified than myself. And I am certain we will find that someone on the planet we are nearing."

Ruri's pale lips parted in surprise. "You know someone from a distant planet?" Inez shook her head. "It's been thousands of years since the planet's name has escaped my lips, but yes. I don't know anyone personally, but I do know their way of life. And I know that I will be in a much better understanding after we arrive on that planet."

Ruri glanced at the floor, gathering all this information. "What is this planet's name, Miss Fressange?"

One single, nonsense word left Inez's painted lips. "Ninlan."

~*~

Akito awoke to dark brown eyes and red hair falling into his face. He squinted into the bright light of the room, trying to figure what the hell was on him, for breathing was difficult, weighted. "Are ya dead?" whispered the figure.

Akito coughed softly and groaned. "I am until you get off me, Hikaru." The redhead giggled before sitting up. "He's not dead!" Akito looked up to find Hikaru straddling him, sitting on his stomach. "Get off me, dammit!"

Hikaru shook her head, grinning. "Oh baby…" She fell onto Akito again. "I want you, Akito. I want you so much. I want to feel your dick in my-"

"I'm sure he gets the idea, Hikaru." Akito looked farther in the room to see a blue, red, and black blob. Izumi. Akito tapped Hikaru on the head. "Hikaru, be lovely and get me my glasses? I can't tell if Izumi is glaring or dancing." Hikaru got off him and handed him his frames. He finally got to sit up, a little winded from Hikaru sitting on him and not letting him breathe. He looked up. "All right, what do you guys want?"

Izumi's face dropped in mock-surprise. "Is that anyway to treat those that are armed with birthday presents for you?" Izumi dropped the three wrapped packages on Akito's lap. "Oh, and Inez says you better get your ass out of bed soon, or she'll start dissecting your brain."

Akito was more shocked at the packages on his lap. He turned one over, marveling its message. He glanced at the two women. "But… aren't you mad at me? Don't you hate me?"

Hikaru laid a finger on her chin. "Oh my, is Itsuki going to have to smack Gai in the head again?" Izumi's crimson eyes filled with a sense of dread and sadness. "Ryoko's with him now…" whispered she. Hikaru nodded sadly. An unspoken message passed between the girls. One that didn't go unnoticed to Akito. 'Making sure he doesn't have a mental breakdown.'

"Why would he have a breakdown?" asked Akito, verbally, and freaking Hikaru and Izumi out. Hikaru turned to the Martian and started shaking a finger at him. "You loser! Shut up and open your damn presents before Inez gets in here with her happy scalpel of specialness." Akito sighed and ripped open the smallest package. His eyebrows shot up. Blue lipstick. He whipped his head towards Izumi. She smirked. "Jun suggested that we use Ye Olde Pawne Shoppe to get you that."

"Ye Olde Pawne Shoppe?" Hikaru smiled. "Howmei girls of course. They have lots of random stuff, and they never ask questions."

"Nice to know I'm getting gag gifts." Akito opened the next package to find a new pan set. His jaw dropped. "Where did you get this?" Izumi smiled. "Howmei girls. Actually, that's technically from Ryoko and Itsuki. It was their money."

Akito unwrapped the final parcel unceremoniously. "Leather knee-high boots. These are from you, yes?"

The two girls nodded quickly. "We figured you'd get better use out of them they Ryoko trying to throw them out of an airlock. We jacked them from Itsuki," responded Hikaru, grinning wildly.

"Me? Get better use out of them? Oh hell no. I'm not into bondage-masturbation, thanks." Izumi's visible eyebrow jumped. "Yurika's not putting out? Funny. I expected her to be molesting you ever five seconds, to the point where you could get whatever you wanted in bed."

Akito looked down, and shook his head sadly. Hikaru reached over and patted him on the back. "She left you, didn't she?" Akito nodded slowly. Hikaru glared at absolutely nothing. "Fucking whore."

Izumi's eyes widened. "Hikaru! Remember that we're talking about our Kanchou here!"

"Oh, what's she gonna do? We're in the middle of nowhere, you know."

"She could throw us out of an airlock."

Akito tuned the two girls out as he got out of bed. He legs were wobbly, but mostly from not being used after such a strenuous workout. 'If you could call that a workout.' Hikaru and Izumi called goodbye to him and he nodded, heading towards the mirror.

His cheek looked much paler than it should have, but there was no blood coming from his mouth. What concerned him most were the large purple bruises on his neck. He rang a finger across his throat, contrasting the paleness of his hand with the heavily colored bruises. 'They can make me stop bleeding, but they can't get rid of bruises. Or maybe they left them as reminding marks. Reminding me to not use people's feelings. Oh, I won't be forgetting anytime soon. I wonder, was I the only one to blame?' Akito glanced back at his face; much more mature looking with his glasses. 'I never liked wearing my glasses. But, if I run out of contacts, what else can I do until we hit civilization. Besides, no one else seems to think they look that bad. I was always teased for them in school, until they realized that I didn't care. Wow, what's happened to me? I actually care now… Well, maybe it's because I have friends now. But… do I really have friends anymore?'

~*~

Omoikane stood immediately as Ruri stepped onto the bridge. "Ruri-sama!" he announced, bowing respectfully. Ruri sat down unceremoniously. "Omoikane-chan, please don't. I have a headache. Go see Uribatake-san or something." Omoikane looked at her, concern and slight hurt reflecting in his glass eyes, before nodding and walking towards the hangar.

Ruri rubbed her temples. This was only the second time Inez had asked her to help in the infirmary, and it was much less taxing this time, but still. Ruri didn't like the feeling of the act Inez asked her to do. Not until she understood it of course. And, Inez's words still haunted her. 'A civilized race on an uncharted planet, thousands of years old. Miss Fressange knows their ways? How does she even know they still exist? And how does she know they exist, at all? And why did she call me a "Messenger of Life"?'

~*~

Yukina sighed and rolled her head on her shoulders. She smiled exhaustedly at Megumi, coming to take her shift. Megumi raised her purple eyebrows, regarding the girl. "Is there something wrong, Yukina? Or are you just tired?" The Jovian girl sighed again before getting up and stretching her arms as far as they could. "Tired. And…" She looked to Minato. Minato glanced up and nodded. "Hey, Ruri," she smiled at the silver-haired princess, "Yukina and I are going to take a walk. Hold down the fortress for me!" Ruri nodded, not looking at her.

The brunettes walked together in silence until they reached the elevator, then Minato pushed the close door button and turned to Yukina. "All right. Talk. What's wrong?"

Yukina crossed her arms and leaned against the wall. "Well, it's just… I've felt a little left out of things. No, that's not it. I've felt… something missing. That's it." Minato cocked her head. "Like your brother?" Yukina shook her head. "He's the last thing I'm missing right now. He's always with us… but we weren't talking about him. I know I'm not left out or really missing anything, but there's this huge hole-"

"What amazing thing can you do?" Minato question caught Yukina off guard and her eyes bugged out. "H… How did you know?" Minato smiled. "All of the pilots, Ruri, Miss Fressange, and Kanchou seem to have strange goings-on happening that involves them. It seems obvious that you could do something too. So what is it?"

"That's the problem. Absolutely nothing." The Assistant Communications Officer sighed. "I feel left out. And… I know I should be happy about this, but, Miss Fressange hasn't approached me."

"Ah. For Jumping?" Yukina nodded. Minato pursed her lips. "Well. I guessed that you were feeling weird as the only Jovian on the ship, but I suppose not." Yukina shook her head.

The elevator door opened, and they found themselves on the hangar bay. Yukina watched and smiled as Ariko stopped throwing a fit at the other mechanics to smile and wave at her. Minato grinned. "Yukina, you have an admirer." Yukina rolled her eyes before running off to see Ariko.

She skidded to a stop next to the youngest mechanic. "Hey, Ariko, what's up?"

"Nothing much. Just these idiots doing things completely wrong- Hey! You! Where are you putting that frame?" Yukina stepped back as Ariko stormed over to the other side of the hangar. She spotted Omoikane though, sitting on a crate. She walked over and sat next to him. "Since when was Ariko a supervisor?"

"Since the Jump." Omoikane sounded sad. Yukina cocked her head, which made her look a lot like a young Minato. "What's the matter, Omoikane?"

"Why won't she tell me what's wrong? I mean, I know what's been going on, Miss Fressange has been making her do some strange form of medicine that I've never heard of." Yukina blinked. "You've never heard of it?" Omoikane shook his head. "There's nothing in my databanks about Meditation Healing, with an actually power behind it."

Yukina tapped her chin. "Hm. Interesting. How does Ruri feel about this?" Omoikane frowned. "That's the problem. I don't know." Yukina sighed and hugged her knees. "I wish I could do something special."

"You can Jump, and I can't. There's something special." Yukina furrowed her brow. "You can't Jump? How come? Aren't you a robot?" Omoikane shrugged. "I just can't."

Yukina sighed and let her eyes go out of focus. 'Miss Fressange has been ignoring the fact that I can Jump too. I can't do anything else special. Sure, I can be Megumi-san's backup, but that's about it. I'm just a normal girl from Jupiter. Nothing special.'

~*~

"Great job, Ariko-chan. Don't you be thinking of taking my job now!" Uribatake clapped Ariko on the back; proud of the young prince's handling on the idiots they called the mechanic crew. Ariko smiled at his mentor. "Thank you, Uribatake-san. I didn't think they would actually listen to me." Uribatake grinned. "Of course they listen to you. They know I like you better than any of them, and I'd have to kick their asses if they didn't listen." Ariko rolled his eyes. "So I'm the Head's pet. Nice to know." Uribatake sighed and pushed him away. "Don't you have a woman to attend to?" He glanced at Hikaru, sitting on her Aesti's foot again. "I know I do."

Hikaru felt a presence next to her, one that was there a second ago. Uribatake. "Hey, Uri-P!" She smiled at the Head Mechanic. It was only then that he realized that Gai was sitting on the other side of the foot. Uribatake raised his hand in greeting to the two of them, then focused his attentions on Hikaru. "Something wrong?"

Hikaru shook her head, her loose red hair falling behind her. "Nah, isn't me this time. Gai's just freaking out some more. Oh! She snapped her fingers. "I didn't tell you, Gai-chan. Yurika broke up with Akito!" Gai sighed and lowered his head. "So that's what was wrong with him, that made him cry. Now I feel like even more of an ass." Hikaru petted his somewhat long hair sympathetically. Uribatake leaned against the leg. Hikaru pulled her hand back quickly, as if electrocuted. "Dammit, Gai-chan! You shocked me!" Gai raised his hands in defense. "Didn't mean it!"

Hikaru frowned at her friend before turning to Uribatake. "What's wrong with you?" Uribatake glanced at the younger girl before sighing. "Is it that obvious?" Hikaru nodded knowingly. "It's about Ayuko and Genji, right?" Uribatake squeaked. "How do you know about them?"

Hikaru shrugged. "Nadesico Grapevine." Gai stood and leaned on the foot, nodding. "Who DOESN'T know you're married?"

Uribatake sat down next to the leg. "Yeah, well… I told her I'd come back, so we could cut things off officially, you know?" Hikaru cocked her head. "Cut things off? You're getting a divorce?" Uribatake nodded. "We need to be apart, and I'm not a very good father to Genji. Hell, I don't even know if he's mine!" Uribatake felt a slight wind on the air that made him look up at Hikaru, for some reason. She was smiling, genuinely happy.

"Thank you for sharing that with me, Uri-P," she whispered. The wind seemed to whip her hair around, but it did not hurt her, nor affect her in anyway.

Gai was a bit astounded at the scene. 'Is this another strange phenomenon? Or are the air systems messed up again?' Uribatake was cheered slightly by the elf-like Hikaru in the flowing air, enchanting herself and those around her with a random show of ethereal beauty. 'Why is it that when she looks so natural and untainted, why is it those times when she looks most mature, and in her place in the world?'

~*~

Akatsuki noticed Yurika walking alone from the bridge to her room. A feral grin twisted his face as he formulated a somewhat evil little plan to make Yurika his. 'I'll get her before that bitch, Erina.' He walked up behind the captain and clapped a hand on her shoulder. "Hey, Kanchou. Where do you think you're going?"

Yurika turned to the man and smiled politely. "Why, I'm hungry, so I'm going to dinner, of course. Omoikane can hold the fort for us while we go eat, so don't you start yelling at me to go to my post." Akatsuki cringed a bit. 'She's right. I may outrank her, but we're nowhere near Earth and the crew likes her better.' He regained his composure, however, and flapped a hand at her. "Now, now, Kanchou. Why would I yell at you for going to go eat? No, I was only wondering if I could have the honor of buying you dinner." He swept a great bow, which made Yurika blush a bit at the obvious flirting.

"Oh, well, if you are so kind to offer, it would be disgraceful to turn you down," cooed Yurika, taking his arm and letting him lead her. It felt good to accept obvious attempts to win her heart. And, though Akatsuki may have no conscience, he sure was acting chivalrous, and Yurika knew that was her favorite trait in a man.

What she didn't notice was Jun watching Akatsuki lead the woman he was in love with away, towards the breakfast room. Jun narrowed his eyes at the couple, more angry than upset. He sniffed snobbishly before taking another way to the cafeteria, intent to telling those he called his friends how wrong the situation was.

~*~

The man in white never really looked at her. All she could tell was that he had long, dark hair, hair of night; and a robe of white, so white, whiter than snow. The contrast was pleasing, yet harmful to the eye. She shielded her eyes from the light that seemed to emanate from him. The light was not white, or black. It was silver, and barely visible in the clouded haze. For the first time, the man turned to her, golden yellow irises dancing in the mixture of white and black, but she couldn't see any true details in his face, not enough to pick him out of a crowd. And, also for the first time, she heard him speak.

"Together we stand…" rasped the figure, in English no less. This made her blink and, for the first time, answer back. "And?" Figure repeated it again, which made her angry. "Yes, I've got that. Stand and do what?"

"Together we stand…"

"And do what?!" She turned away from the man, angry at her confusion and the man for making her confused. Then she turned to him. "Why don't you just-"

"-tell me?!?" shouted Megumi, sitting upright in her bed. She was panting. She clutched her light pink nightshirt and tried to catch her breath. 'The dream again. Only… I saw his eyes. And he spoke to me. Does this mean something? I mean, we are headed near an alien planet, and we have no clue what's on it. Could there be humans? Or the man I keep seeing?'

~*~

"Dammit, Ryoko!" Ryoko cringed as she heard the other woman's voice, shrill with annoyance, intent on annoying whoever had disrupted her peace. Ryoko swiveled on the piano bench, glared at the purple haired woman. "What?"

"You played the wrong note! AGAIN!" Itsuki was slightly fuming, but she didn't have much effect on Ryoko in terms of intimidation. Ryoko crossed her arms. "For one thing, I happen to think it sounds better with the change, and it's hard to push the note you said, this one is easier!"

"Baka! Do you think people make music the way they do because it's easy?"

"Well, it should! Only those who have talent should be doing it!"

"Ryoko, you know damn well that that is one of the most important notes to this piece. It makes it soft and sad, which is what we're aiming for here!"

"I'm not aiming for it! I like the new way better. It gives it an out-of-control feel, and that's how I see it!"

"Control is important, and never overused in music! You have to make sure you please the audience while doing what you want!"

"Fine." Ryoko stood abruptly, stepping away from the bench and the keyboard. "I don't want to fight with you Itsuki. But I'm not going to apologize. Apologies are for those that are in the wrong, and I know I'm not wrong this time." Ryoko walked just as suddenly as she made her final comment.

Itsuki glared at the door before throwing her violin in its case, switching off the keyboard, and flinging herself on her bed in a fit of anger. "Damn her… just damn her…"

~*~

Gai was just slipping the envelope under the door when Ryoko stomped out of one of the other rooms in the hall. Itsuki's room. Gai sighed and left the envelope in its position before going to pacify Ryoko. "Okay, what is it this time?"

"Can't I do what I want on that god-forsaken piano? Jesus, she's such a fucking Nazi!" Gai winced at Ryoko's yelling, and she noticed this. "Sorry, I'm just pissed. Arg. Damn her." Gai wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "Hey, Ryoko, let's get some candy. That'll shut you up, at least for a while." Ryoko punched him before walking with him towards the closest vending machine, which was in the recreation hall.

~*~

Akito nearly stepped on the envelope by his door when he left his bathroom with a towel around his waist and on his head. He carefully bent down, picked it up, and sat down on his futon without getting it wet. He read the front, which made him open it with care. 'Happy Birthday Akito… in Gai's handwriting…' Akito felt his heartstrings pull. 'He was right… I did hurt him over something stupid. Jesus, what is really that important that he tell me every detail of his life? The fuck was wrong with me…' He pulled the single paper out and began to read, hearing Gai's voice behind the words in his somewhat calligraphic scrawl.

'Dear Akito,

Maybe it would have been easier to just refuse to do anything for your birthday. But, as usually, I felt guilty, as everyone else was feeling sorry for you. Even Jun, who has been my Akito-insulting buddy for the past week or so. But the subject of this is, well, you, so let's stop talking about me.

Well, what I wanted to say most to you Akito was, I'm sorry. I'm sorry making you cry. I'm sorry for not being what you wanted. I'm sorry, most of all, for hitting you. I would have rather died than hurt you, but I did it anyway. For that I'm sure I'll probably be eventually forgiven, but I'll never forgive myself.

Dammit, I'm talking about me again! Oh well. I'm just writing whatever I'm thinking, and I bet you're laughing your ass off while reading this, aren't you? I wouldn't blame you if you were. This probably is hilarious to someone who isn't me. And since you'll be the only one reading it… yeah.

The fact of the matter is, I still see you as my best friend. I don't hate you. Well, I take that back, I hate your behavior sometimes, and the things that you say sometimes, but everyone hates something in those close to them. It's overlooking those that they hate that is the most difficult. They just seem to pop up over and over… I don't think that made much sense. Well, I'm writing in pen and I'm not scratching it out.

This may come as a surprise to you, but, I guess, secretly, I still love you. Shit! I can't believe I actually wrote that! But, even if I scratch it out, it will still show. In any case, you read it correctly. I hit you, I hate you, and I love you. Why is it that you do this? Fuck, talking about me again…

Well, it seems that I'm running out of paper and I'm not going to go ask for more. I was supposed to tell you how I wasn't mad at you and how sorry I am, not start rambling. Well, I'm not mad at you. I was stupid, it was all my fault, and I'm sorry. But now I suppose I'll stop writing before I embarrass myself even more than I already have.

Love (you have no idea how good it feels to write that again), Gai.'

Akito folded the paper up carefully, a faint smile on his face. He placed it back into the envelope. He got dressed, thinking silent before collapsing onto his futon. He wrapped his arms around himself and smiled even wider. 'While I read that… I don't know. I think I just fell in love with him.'

~*~

The vision with the woman came again. The woman was, in essence, the vision itself. There was no way a girl that looked like her and dressed like her could live in their world. Her purple hair was in a braid, like so many beggars, thrown out of society, but she was remarkably well groomed, so she was no beggar. Her short dress was not of traditional fashion, and looked odd on someone who definitely was of some sort of high class. What was most clear was the path on her left arm. 'Nadesico…' Her pale legs, her purple braid, her large blue eyes, her freckles, it all seemed to stand out, then fade, as if she was disappearing from sight, but she faded back again. She began to whisper one sentence… but it wasn't even a sentence. "To end all lies… to end all lies… to end all lies…"

Rumiko Adagio opened his amber eyes slowly, not frightened by the vision. This was, in fact, the fifth time he'd had it. They came fast now, the last vision only being the day before. Rumiko sat up and rubbed his eyes before putting his spectacles on and gazing out the window. It was still dark, but it was nearly dawn over the northern horizon. 'Well, I might as well get up now, even if it is early.' He pulled himself out of bed and sat down to a table before dressing. He glanced over the book lying there. 'And the prophecies state that the younger priest would imagine the woman, and the comet would fall, bringing an end to Magus and, in affect, our world.' Rumiko rubbed his temples and got up. "It should be soon, then…" he whispered, pulling off his nightshirt and dressing into his familiar white priest robe. 'I'll have to inform Head Priest Igadosu, of course… I imagine the faithful will start crying if Igadosu works it into the sermon. Idiots. I hate it when they cry, they make such a racket.' Rumiko grabbed his book, holding a finger in the page he was in before leaving his room, and his house. 'But who is the woman? She is not purely imagined, I know that. She is real. But from what time period is she from, WHERE is she from?' He walked silently towards the wood and stone building, the biggest in the forest village. 'She is an enigma… And what is this "Nadesico"?'

~*~

TBC…

~*~

A/N: That was SO freakin' hard! Anyway, yes, the real plot is about to start, which is why I touched base with just about everyone. So, how was everything? This took me a few days, but that's just the school thing. Anyway, how was it? Was it really that bad? Oh, bite me, will you? I actually started feeling bad for Akito, but that doesn't mean he suddenly gets whatever he was again. Oh hell no. But enough of that. What's in store for us next time? Well, this time I actually know! ^^ Get your scorecards out; there will be much confusion with the fusion of machinery and, well, magic. ^^ You're going to be very confused, more so than you have before. Yay! Anyway, I'll see you again, we're finally getting on the track that I wanted to get on. As always, Read and Review! 


	6. And it starts

A/N: And it starts. Well, this is the point where my millions (read: two) of readers run off to gouge out their eyeballs. Oh well. I have been planning this out, truly. It may not seem so, but there is a point to it. And the point will be slowly but surely coming out from now… forth? Yes, that works. Anyway. Woo. I really wish my site would stop being stupid. Anyway, um…. On with the show?

~*~

Inez smiled, looking at the progress charts as the Nadesico was flying ever so close to Ninlan. 'We should be able to land there in a day or so. But how will I make sure Kanchou lands? It's imperative that we go there…' Inez frowned once again, and then massaged her temples. 'It's been taxing, but once we're close enough, I have to leave it to those who fear us. I don't think I could do it myself. I've been weakened over the past week. But that's what happens when I overdo it. In any case,' she pulled the plate out of her pocket, 'I believe it's time.' She floated up to the top of the computer and held the plate over the slot.

The door to her lab opened and closed, and Inez looked up and smiled maliciously to see Izumi standing there with her mouth gaping. "What are you doing, Inez?" Inez stated, matter-of-factly, "Why, sealing our fates." She pushed the key into the hole and heard it lock, never to be released by anyone but her again. She smiled and hopped off the computer, floating down to the floor where Izumi stood. Izumi shook her head slowly, shocked. "Sealing our fates?"

Inez placed both hands on the girl's shoulders. "Come now, Izumi. It's not so bad. In fact, it's going to help us. Our main goal for the moment is to get on that planet. We have a prophecy to fulfill, you know." Izumi glanced at the floor before whispering, "Does Kanchou know?" Inez turned and walked toward a cupboard. "No, but she will. Eventually. I'm sure she feels it too. It's just that she doesn't know. Not as I do." She pulled a beaker out of the cupboard and placed it on a table before calling Izumi over. "I'm going to need you to help me with an experiment. Rather… you will be the experiment." Izumi stiffened and Inez chuckled. "Oh, I won't be probing you or anything. I just want you to think for me, all right?"

Izumi nodded slowly, suddenly very afraid of the woman she had an obvious crush on. She sat down at the chair before the table. Inez turned around and danced a finger around the rim of the beaker. "What is this, Izumi?"

Izumi laughed out loud at the stupidity of how Inez wanted her to think. "God, Inez, do you think me dumb? It's a beaker. Who doesn't know?" Inez smiled knowingly. "Fascinating. And what could go into a beaker?" Izumi shrugged. "Anything really."

Inez's gray blue eyes flashed into a glare. "I'm looking for something specific." She took a deep breath. "Here's a hint. It's 71% of the Earth's surface." Izumi snapped her fingers. "Water!" Inez smiled and nodded. "Guess what I want you to imagine. Think of any form of water that makes you angry, sad, happy, anything. Any kind of water that appears in your mind first and focus on it."

Izumi was confused, but she didn't question Inez's order. Her crimson eyes slid closed and she imagined water. Water at the beach, when they were on Tenician Island. The tides moving in and out, a never-ending intercourse with the shore and the sand. The waves rising and falling, like lost breath. 'The breath of the Earth is not wind, but waves… Why are my knees wet?' Her eyes reopened to find water spouting in the beaker, overflowing onto the table and dripping onto her and the floor. Her eyes widened, then she looked to Inez for an explanation. The woman in question smiled, satisfied. "So, the energy is getting stronger as we get closer to the Ninlandish temples. You are probably the only one to not have it burst out on it's own. But for you to do something so… spectacularly strong, I will definitely be able to speak to those on the planet. Thank you Izumi."

Izumi had to blink to go from listen to talk mode. She looked at Inez, mentally kicking herself for feeling so childish. "I did that?" she pointed at the beaker before her, which was starting to slow the bubbling.

Inez nodded. "Aqua's Rage."

~*~

Igadosu Toccata was not surprised to find his apprentice Rumiko storm into the main worshipping room in the Temple. The younger man was swinging his Book of Holy Words as he ran towards the altar. He reached it breathless, collapsing against the wood. "The… the prophecy… it's coming true, Igadosu…" The old man smiled, then continued going over what he would say at sermon that morning, making more little notes. "I know. You've been dreaming about her, haven't you?"

Rumiko's dark eyebrows snapped together. "How did you- Wait. I'm being stupid. Rage." Igadosu nodded slowly, then finally locked his light blue eyes with Rumiko's amber ones. "When you first had it, you had a cloud over your head. I've been watching your dreams and thoughts for the past week." He chuckled slightly. "I would bet you forty pence less than twenty of those at today's ceremonies begin crying, and I inform them that our end is very near." Rumiko outlined his lips with a finger. "Sixty says more than twenty." Igadosu shook Rumiko's hand. "It's a bet."

~*~

Izumi came to breakfast late, but all of the pilots were still there… all but Akito, again. When the door opened for her, Gai jumped up, but sat down again when he saw who it was. Izumi's visible eyebrow jumped as she walked towards her seat next to Itsuki. "Expecting someone, are we?" Hikaru rolled her eyes as Gai bowed his head sheepishly. "Baka wrote 'Kito-chan a letter. But tell me, Izumi. Why are the nylon-part of your knees darker than the rest?" Izumi sat down in front of Jun and shrugged. "Inez made me wet."

Jun spit his coffee out in surprise. "What?!" Izumi grabbed a napkin and started mopping her face. "And now Jun's made me wet. Thanks." Jun started to blush insanely while the others laughed. Gai saw Ryoko lay a hand on Itsuki's arm as the purple-haired woman snorted while laughing, sparking more laughter. His brow furrowed. "Are you guys together again?"

Ryoko smiled faintly and nodded slowly, before Itsuki grinned and draped herself on her lover. Ryoko just looked like she wanted to kill her for that. Jun crossed his arms on the table. "What is this, the fifth time in a week?" Itsuki flapped a hand at the Executive Officer. "Oh, calm down. I wouldn't call our arguments relationship ending. More like…" Izumi whispered behind her hand, very loudly, "Married Couple!" Itsuki snapped her fingers. "That's it."

The door to the cafeteria opened and six heads turned to see the panting cook in the door. Hikaru gave him a knowingly glance, playfully glaring at him. "Wow, the Martian has decided to greet us! Amazing." She couldn't help but notice Itsuki's expression grow cold as the sight of Akito.

Akito walked exhaustedly towards their table. Jun got up to go get another chair, but Akito didn't sit down. Instead, he clapped a hand onto the table and held an envelope in his other. "I think we need to talk, Gai." The younger man in question did not seem confused at all, just nodded and got up, walking out of the cafeteria, and into the hall.

The other five present blinked simultaneously. Izumi turned to the others. "So, how about that generic sports team?"

The second the door closed, Akito jumped to his toes and kissed Gai. Gai lost himself, completely forgetting about the day before, a month ago, what day it was, what year it was, where they were. He was just reaching the old familiar feeling of comfort, when his gray-brown eyes popped open and he pulled away. He glared at Akito. "Don't use me, Tenkawa. I'm no fucking rebound." Gai walked out of the hall, turning towards the Observation Deck. Akito glared back, but Gai's words rang through his head. 'Am I just using him for a rebound? Am I lonely without Yurika, so I go to him for a relationship? Am I just uncomfortable being single?'

~*~

Igadosu handed Rumiko a velvet pouch, holding sixty pence. "You win." Rumiko weighed the pouch in his hand before smirking, but then he frowned. "But, Igadosu, about the prophecy-"

"It takes place today."

Rumiko's eyes bugged out of his head. "What?!" Igadosu was not so surprised. "For being Calm, you're certainly easily excited." He chuckled. "Yes. The foreseen comet passes us this day. Of course, we must do all we can to make the fortune not come true, so we must attack, obviously."

Rumiko rubbed his lips with a thumb. "What are we attacking it with? It's outside the atmosphere, and we're no longer equipped to leave or bubble." Igadosu rubbed his temples, actually looking his old age. "I'm very aware of this. Since you started having this dream, I've been sending message doves to Head Priest Mythos Entrada at the Temple in Carmina, but I've been getting no answer. Either they're following the Ninlandish tradition of letting people take care of their own problems, or they're just so used to sitting pretty that they don't believe that the Holy Words will be followed. In either situation, those arrogant bastards don't seem to want to help the only two mages in a small town."

Rumiko's amber eyes darkened to light brown. "So we attack with psychic energy. Doesn't sound to hard."

Igadosu smirked grimly. "Easier said than done."

~*~

It took nearly three hours for everyone to get to their posts to prepare a scouting team onto the planet. Yurika's voice traveled loudly through the bridge. "We'll send a team down onto the planet to see if there's civilization, and if there is any technology at all." She glanced at Akatsuki, who stood next to her. He cleared his throat. "Unfortunately, Doctor, your experiments will have to end. We're leaving the computer here, so that no one knows where it is." Inez, standing in the center of the bottom level, shrugged. "That is fine. I am finished with it, actually."

Izumi noticed she didn't mention the key. 'Of course she's done with it. She placed the key in it, unlocking it's secrets and doing something to either us or the ship.' Her bangs shadowed her face, and her frown and the darkness in her eyes made Inez flinch slightly. 'Shit. She knows. Dammit. I knew I should not have let her get close to me.'

Mr. Hory lifted a paper. "Now, for the mission assignments." He interrupted by the ship shaking violently, knocking several of the crew to the floor.

~*~

"Remember, Rumiko. Just enough to knock it out of our line of space. We don't need to bed-ridden for three days." Rumiko glared at his mentor. "Don't treat me as if I'm green, Igadosu." The old man chuckled, but clapped his hands together, then curled his middle and ring fingers so that only his thumbs, his pinkies, and his pointer fingers were left standing straight up. Rumiko closed his eyes in concentration as he made the same prayer position. The silver markings on their right hands began to glow, Igadosu's much brighter. Rumiko reached out with his magic, feeling the comet coasting in orbit around Ninlan. 'As if watching us.' He shook off the feeling just in time, Igadosu hitting the comet with such a brute force; it was hard to believe he was Magus's Rage. He was preparing to hit it himself when he heard a female voice in his head. '"Use me. Fulfill the prophecy. You will not regret it."'

~*~

Inez grabbed Yukina as she slid across the floor with the initial hit. Inez began to float, just enough to keep them from getting hurt. Inez felt out, and recognized the magic that was about to be used against them. 'Naked Copy… And a Copy in my hands.' Inez charged energy through Yukina's nerves, making them tingle as she tried to get the mage's attention. '"Use me. Fulfill the prophecy. You will not regret it."'

Ruri clawed her way back up to her console. "Omoikane, what is the status of the Nadesico?" Omoikane peeled himself from the floor and scanned with his inner eyes all the hardware of the ship. "The Y-Unit has been disabled, and our Distortion Field is not blocking these attacks. Our PT Engines are at a low, and I can not override the speed."

Suddenly they felt the ship pitch forward and begin to fall. Megumi screamed, but Yurika was still heard over her. "Brace yourselves! We're going to crash!"

Despite the situation, Inez smiled. 'Much more dramatic than I had guessed, but at least it worked.'

~*~

After Rumiko felt the voice in his head, he gritted his teeth and his the comet with all he had. But it was not his own power that made the comet start falling to Ninlan. It was someone else's in his skin.

'I copied someone… But there isn't anyone in the world to copy!' He was knocked out of his mediation by a loud crash in the forest. His head whipped around, but Igadosu laid a hand on his arm. "No," commanded the old priest. "It fell. We were unable to end the end before it began. Do not go see the damage. You may be killed by the energy. It's… very strong."

Rumiko nodded slowly, but couldn't help but wonder. 'Who spoke to me? Who did I copy?'

~*~

Everyone was on the floor when the Nadesico had been still for five full minutes. It was Yurika who raised her head first. "Um, is everyone alive?" Affirmatives rang across the bridge, and across the communication lines. She pulled herself up, but her jaw dropped again when she saw Inez floating in midair, an unconscious Yukina in her arms.

Inez floated back down, setting Yukina onto the cold metallic floor. Then she looked up at the captain. "It has begun."

~*~

TBC…

~*~

A/N: Yeah, I'm very aware that that sucked. Anyway. Well here goes our plot and there go the readers. Yep. We'll be seeing just a bit more of Izumi, but not too much in the next chapter. Lots of Megumi stuff, and Rumiko stuff, and Inez stuff, and all in general STUFF. So, um, yeah. Read and Review… 


	7. New people, new scenery

A/N: Well, let's get to it, shall we? Ahem. Last chapter, we saw the crash of the Nadesico onto Ninlan. Is this symbolic? Not really. Izumi first showed her signs… and Inez let more out. Rumiko and Igadosu attacked the ship, making it crash onto the planet. Akito and Gai STILL aren't on good terms. Ryoko and Itsuki have made up, once again. Oh, not to mention that Inez unlocked the computer, though they plan on leaving it on Ninlan. So, um, yeah. This will lead up to a HUGE history lesson, not to mention a HUGE explanation of some weird things, but yeah. But I'm just going to write it now. Yeah.

~*~

Uribatake shook his head at the damage of the ship. They crashed, cleanly. At least as clean as one could crash into a forest. Trees around them were on fire, but somehow they were controlled. He was murmuring to himself. "Well, it could have been worse, but it really could have been better… Much better." He turned to Inez and fisted his hands on his hips. "Well, O Wondrous Psychic? What're we supposed to do now?"

Inez wasn't angry at Uribatake's tone; in fact, she smirked. "Obviously, we go to the village." Yurika spoke up. "But wouldn't they feel intimidated if all one-hundred fifteen of us headed towards a town that looks to be quite small? I think we should make a small team to go there and ask for help." Inez nodded. "Not many though. Just two or three. And they have to bring the person here, and not be shocked at what they'll find." Akatsuki, sitting on a rock crossed his arms. "Why don't you go, Doctor?" She smiled sadly. "I'm afraid I'm not what's being looked for." Admiral Fukube cleared his throat. "That is regrettable. I assumed you'd be the best to explain to these people why we're here, especially when you know how they work." Inez smiled, but shook her head no.

Ryoko held her chin thoughtfully. "Well, I suppose we should send someone who has people skills, not to mention able to conquer the language barrier." The strategic group turned to the best pilot. "What? You don't expect people on a distant planet to be spouting Japanese right and left, do you?" Inez cleared her throat. "It appears that I had forgotten about that." Yurika clapped her hands together and smiled. "'People skills!' That's definitely Megumi!"

The Communications Officer looked up from her seat at the base of one of the trees that was not ablaze. "Me?" Yurika nodded warmly at the girl that she was once in a rival for Akito's affections with. "Yes, you. You are perky EVERY morning, not to mention all day. You never can find many bad things to say about someone. I call that people skills!" Megumi was dumbfounded. 'She obviously knows why everyone was hired… Perhaps it's because Akatsuki's been hanging around her for the past day or so.'

The man in question flipped his hair over his shoulder. "We can't assume that they're going to respond well to only manners. We may have to send someone along that can fight." Yurika felt her lips. "Should we send an Aestivalis?"

"No," commanded Inez. "I'm putting my foot down at that. One sight of those robots, moving and all, and we will be without help. Absolutely not. Besides, the village shouldn't be more than five kilometers away." Hikaru blinked and snapped her fingers. "Izumi!" she cried out. Ryoko's jaw dropped. "Of course."

Yurika blinked in confusion. "Izumi? Why her?" Ryoko started counting things off her fingers. "She's a fighter, with all her intellect. She's really good with a gun. And she's great at learning other languages, even without an interpreter." Izumi smiled smugly. "You flatter me, Ryoko."

Akatsuki glared at the blue-haired woman. "Are you really?" Izumi glared her visible eye at him. "Of course I am. I'm a fantastic sniper only because I had a fantastic teacher." Akatsuki looked away, disgusted. "My brother." Izumi nodded, but continued. "And I could speak, read, and write both English and Japanese before I started Preschool. I'd say I have some skill with languages."

Yurika nodded, smiling. "Then it's decided! Meg, Izumi, you guys head off to the village and see if you can get someone over here. We'll work on setting up camp and telling what parts of the ship are totaled." Izumi nodded and helped Megumi up before they disappeared into the trees.

Inez turned to Jun. "You've been doing well, holding them off so they don't spread." She nodded a head at the fires around them. "Could you try to put them to a stop, or make them a little smaller at least?" Jun was confused, and his blue eyebrows knit. What surprised him was a flash of red light, and all the fires were snuffed immediately, all at the same time. His jaw dropped. Hikaru smiled. "Why do I have a feeling I know what's going on here?" The doctor turned to the artist. "Because you just might have a strong hold on the idea."

Hikaru nodded grimly. "I probably do." She glanced at her IFS symbol on her right hand, noting how it sparkled yellow. She felt the wind blow through her hair.

~*~

It was only when they were out of earshot that Izumi broke the natural silence. "Well, this is sure interesting. Me and you, of all people." Megumi nodded. "But they had good intentions, I suppose…" Izumi yawned, crossing her arms behind her head. "Of course they did. The girl with prophetic dreams and the girl who's been stalking Inez. Makes lots of sense to me." Megumi stopped and Izumi walked on for a few seconds before turning around. "What?"

Megumi's brow was furrowed. "How did you know about my dreams?" Izumi shrugged before walking backwards. "Who doesn't?" Megumi sighed before continuing. "Damn the gossip." Izumi laughed out loud. "That's amusing. You feed in most of the gossip in the grapevine, Meg. You and Minato, you know?"

Megumi shook her head, unbelieving. "Let's stop talking about me, okay?" Izumi shrugged. "Fair enough. What do you want to know about me?" Megumi thought for a moment. "Nothing much, really. But… hey, what do you know about everyone else?" Izumi smiled. "Even when in a crisis, Megumi sees no reason to not gossip." Megumi grinned. "Of course not. One of my hobbies, you know. And this isn't a crisis." Izumi's face fell. "If this isn't, I don't want to see your basis of what is a crisis." Megumi shook her head. "No, that's not it. I just… don't see this as much of a big deal. Sure, we may be millions of light-years away from Earth, in any time in the past or future, but nobody's dead, are they? We'll be able to leave eventually, why else would they have us just get help, not be worried about whether the Nadesico will explode or not?"

Izumi stroked her bottom lip with her fingers as she turned around and walked straight. "Interesting. I never thought it that way. And the way Inez has been rabidly trying to get us here, I think you may be right." She turned to the Communications Officer again. "We're here for a reason."

~*~

Jun sat before the rock circle and focused his energies on the straw before him. Hikaru could have sworn she saw smoke when Jun sighed and fell backward, with his legs dangling in the air before falling to the ground as well. "Fuck," he whispered. She walked over and plopped on the ground. "What're you trying to do?" The Executive Officer sat up and brushed off his back. "Light the goddamn fire." Hikaru tapped her chin, smiling maliciously. Then she exclaimed, "Are those Akatsuki's and Kanchou's clothes?" Jun's eyes bulged and he quickly looked around. "Where?!"

Hikaru barely had time to jump back before the fire exploded before them. "Jesus, Jun! You didn't have to go crazy, you know!" Jun glared at her. "Akatsuki and Yurika are right there, fully clothed." Hikaru giggled. "The point was for you to use your anger as fuel!"

Inez couldn't help but notice the sudden burst of flame. She walked over, intrigued. "How did you know that emotional energy could be used to start up magic?" Hikaru smiled, not afraid by the word. "It was in a book I read once. This guy was once very pissed off, and he set his entire house on fire." Inez nodded slowly. "Fascinating. You actually know the laws?" Hikaru shook her head. "All I know, I know from reading."

Inez's eyes portrayed her lonely feelings. "How sad," she whispered, and Hikaru realized for the first time that Inez felt lonely sometimes, for being the only one to know things. 'She misses Erina. She misses Erina's intelligence. Not even Izumi can replace that.'

~*~

Izumi held her blue hair off her neck as they trudged into town. "Why's it so fucking hot…?" Megumi shook her head; quite aware of the stares they got from the townspeople, dressed in very medieval clothing. She felt very much out of place, but that didn't stop from discovering the smoke billowing from the chimney in one of the largest houses in town. She pointed towards it. "Someone's home." Izumi nodded and headed in the direction of the house, Megumi trailing closely. She stayed back as Izumi raised a pale fist to the door. "Aren't you going to come up here?" Megumi shook her head. "No, you knock first." Izumi shrugged, then tapped her fist on the door softly.

The oak door opened abruptly, showing a man dressed in a white wrinkled robe, his black hair tumbling around his waist, and tangled from sleep. His amber eyes squinted into the light in a way that made Izumi believe he was glaring.

Megumi's heart dropped when she saw the man at the door. To her, the man wasn't glaring, but squinting. He was examining her, as if he recognized her, but in a déjà vu sort of way. She knew she felt uncomfortable under his gaze, however. She tugged at the bottom of her black skirt, feeling that, perhaps, it was too short.

Izumi cleared her throat. The man turned back to the red-clad pilot. "I think you have the wrong house," spoke the man, surprising both Izumi and Megumi with his clear, yet heavily accented, English. Izumi's jaw dropped, but she recovered quickly. "You speak English?" she queried, her British accent attached to her English. The man nodded. "I speak the languages of the nobles. Who are you, and what is your business here?" Izumi laid a hand on her chest. "I am Maki Izumi of Satsuki Midori Colony at Lagrange Point 2. This is…" She gestured to Megumi, but realized that she didn't think Megumi could speak English.

Megumi stepped up next to Izumi, feeling confident. "My name is Megan Rainerd, and I hail from America on Earth. Have you heard of it?" Izumi's jaw dropped once again. 'America???' The man's amber eyes softened. "Why don't you come inside? We obviously have much to speak of." He stepped into the house and held the door open for them, holding a hand out to allow them in. The two women walked in cautiously, and were surprised to find that the house was big, but yet had only one room. They both took seats at the table in the center of the room. The man picked up a kettle from his crude sink and set it in the fire, hanging off a hook in the fireplace. He came to stand next to a chair at the table. "Now, where did you come from?"

"Earth," retorted Izumi. The man nodded. "The blue planet owned by Mars… Obviously time has been graceful to you." He glanced at their clothes, and Megumi began to squirm. "What's your name, sir?" The man chuckled. "I suppose that you are in my debt, and shouldn't be making such demands. But, as it would be polite to not give you my name, I'll tell you. I am Rumiko Adagio of Somenolenthe, Apprentice Priest at the Temple of Magus." He looked proud of himself, and seemed to be expecting praise from the two women.

They just glanced at each other before Izumi began speaking. "Look, we really need to get back to our ship, so do you think you can help us or not?" Rumiko's yellow eyes bulged out of his head. "Ship???" Izumi nodded slowly, perplexed by this strange man. "Yes, how else would we get all the way out here?" Rumiko sat down and stared at the grain of his table, murmuring to himself. Megumi heard, "Ships since the three-hundreds" before he stood. He looked official for a moment, standing straight. "All right, I'll come help you. Where's your ship?" Izumi nodded a head towards the window. "In the forest." Rumiko's eyes bulged again, then he turned and mumbled something else to himself. They caught the words, "is the comet" before he turned again. "All right, let's go then."

The water in the kettle began to steam, making the device whistle. Izumi glanced at it and the whole kettle tipped over, the hot water putting out the fire below, she glanced back to Rumiko, to find both him and Megumi looked at her strangely. "What?"

As they headed out the door, Rumiko, surprisingly, led the way to the crash. 'Just as well,' thought Izumi as she stepped back to speak with Meg. She glared at the Communications Officer, and spoke in plain English. "Why didn't you tell me that you're American?" Megumi shrugged. "Same reason I didn't tell anyone else. It just never came up. I never thought it was so much a big deal, anyway." Izumi's glared faltered. The girl was right. Still, Izumi set her pale lips into a straight line. "So how did you manage a Japanese name? You said to Rumiko that your name was 'Megan Rainerd.'"

Megumi shrugged again. "When I moved to Japan, I changed my name. Those damn katakana annoyed me." Izumi nodded, her glare falling apart and dissipated into the warm air around them.

~*~

It grew significantly colder as night started to fall, and much more difficult to see the smoke that billowed from the crash site. Rumiko turned to the two women. "Well? Where's this ship of yours?" Izumi smiled. "Oh, we'll definitely be seeing it in about ten seconds." She took a deep breath, then yelled. "HIKARU-CHAN!"

~*~

Hikaru had just thrown another log into Jun's fire and was about to join everyone else at the river when she heard Izumi's shrieking voice somewhat close by. "HIKARU-CHAN!" Hikaru's ears perked up, pointed out the direction, and she was off like a racecar. As soon as she saw her friend she smiled and ran towards her hugging her, and accidentally knocking her down.

The redhead smiled at her best friend. "Hi. What's up?" Izumi rolled her eyes. "Off of me, will ya? You're embarrassing us." Hikaru reluctantly got off of the other woman before glancing at those who accompanied her. Megumi was rubbing her temples, frustrated, and what looked like could be a man was slowly turned red. Hikaru smiled. "Are you the ever-so nice person that's decided to help us? Great. Though," she turned back to Izumi, "Everyone's either at the river or in the Nadesico, washing up for dinner. All I really have to say is that Miss Howmei, 'Kito, and the Howmei girls have their work cut out for them." She grinned and led them in the direction of the Nadesico.

"How many people were on your ship, exactly?" asked the white-clad man in his English. Hikaru smiled at him, and replied in the same language, "Hundred-fifteen, give or take a body or two." His jaw dropped, expectedly. Megumi shook her head. "Hikaru, this is Rumiko Adagio. Rumiko, this is-"

"Amano Hikaru, at your service, but really, I don't do sex slave requests." Hikaru bowed graciously, despite her comment. Just then, the woods seemed to open up to them, the ship towering over them and the clearing much larger than when they left. Izumi averted her visible eye to Hikaru. "Busy, much?" Hikaru shrugged, then turned back to Rumiko. "I think Miss Fressange would like to meet you, like, right away." Izumi snapped her fingers, remembering as such. "I'll go get her," and the blue-haired pilot ran off.

Hikaru sat down on a rock and picked up a pad of paper. Rumiko took this time to speak with Megumi. But before he could, one of his hands shot up to his temple, and he groaned in agony. Megumi's jaw dropped as he slumped to the ground, holding his head and swaying, as if in a trance. Hikaru jumped off her rock and ran over, obviously concerned. She reached over to comfort her acquaintance, but the man shouted, "No!" Megumi squatted down. "Are you okay?" she whispered, keeping her distance from the anguish man.

Rumiko gritted his teeth against the psychic pain he felt and quickly reached out and grabbed the redhead's right hand, bending it back so her symbol would not be shown to him. Through his clenched teeth, he growled, "Aer's Calm…" Hikaru's dark eyes widened with Rumiko bending her hand away from him. She noticed Inez, Yurika, and generally most of the crew she was familiar with come out of the ship, and she snatched her hand back, massaging the IFS symbol on it. Rumiko seemed to snap out of it to stand before the group.

It was Inez whose eyebrows furrowed first. "What's wrong?" queried the woman, concerned for their volunteer's health. Rumiko shook his head, as if to shake out some thoughts. "It's not important at this time. And you are?" Megumi stepped up to introduce her. "This is Miss Inez Fressange of Mars, Captain Misumaru Yurika of Mars, and-" She was cut off by Inez lifting a hand, indicating silence. She swept part of her coat back with an air of nobility around her. "I am called Inez Fressange by my co-workers, which is my adoptive name." She smirked. "My true name is Maboroshi Ai."

Rumiko's jaw dropped and he quickly fell to on knee, bowing very respectively to Inez. "My Lady, please forgive my insolence toward those who are close to you. I had no idea-" Inez shook her head. "Stand up, please. Really, we are in your debt." Rumiko's look of shock and respect didn't falter, and he kept his head bent, not looking in her gray-blue eyes. Inez's eyebrows snapped together, twisting her expression into a glare. "Enough."

Rumiko still could not bring himself to face the older woman. "I cannot, My Lady. It would be dishonorable to face you as an equal, as it is obvious you are above me." Megumi raised her eyebrows. "What are you talking about? Why are you calling Miss Fressange, 'My Lady'?" Rumiko turned to her and faced her, not giving her as much respect as he did Inez. "Lady Ai is a legend. She's almost as respected as the very Gods!" His voice dropped into a whisper. "Though, it is only Magus's doing that we worship only him now…"

Inez had to blink. "Me, up with the Gods? Surely you don't mean that." Rumiko nodded. "Absolutely, My Lady. Juveus-sama, the Final First Priestess of Flamma, and Arthenus-sama, the Final First Priest of Terra, are only on your level. No others. Only the Gods could be higher than the Girl from the Future." Inez nodded slowly. "Interesting. And what is that about Magus and the other Gods?"

Rumiko glanced up at the now dark sky. "I'm afraid that is a long story." Inez sat on a rock and crossed her arms. "We have dinner and shelter. And that is a long story at least some of our crew needs to hear." She glanced at the pilots, all sitting together, but mostly at Hikaru. She smirked. "Perhaps I shall begin?" Rumiko hung his head and mumbled, in distinct Japanese, "Hai, as Ai-sama wishes," earning a gasp or two from the small crowd in the clearing.

~*~

TBC…

~*~

A/N: Yeah yeah, cliffhanger. Well, the next chapter will be confusing, so I want you to clear your minds first. So keep in mind all that has happened here, but don't dwell on it. We definitely will get to see the psyche of Tabby next chapter, and how she planned this bitch out. Anyway, this sucked, because halfway through, writer's block hit me and gave me a black eye. Well, Read and Review, as always, and keep an eye out for the next chapter, coming… whenever. 


	8. The legends and theories break out

A/N: Well, here I am again. And armed with lots of explanations and not-so-many well thought out reactions. Oh well, we'll manage, yes? Yes. Well, what happened last time? Rumiko finally met some Nadesico peeps, and referred to Inez as "Lady Ai". Are you confused? Good. ^^ Anyway, this time, um, history and mythology lesson from Inez and Rumiko, and the revelation of the strange happenings. Let's get to it before I bore you to sleep, eh?

~*~

Inez settled against one of the rocks, holding her bowl of soup in her lap. "Rumiko, I must ask, what is the date?" The man in white stared at the dirt before him. "One day after the Ventosus First Quarter, 6632." The scientist smiled. "So we're only a week ahead than we thought." Yurika stirred her ramen, watching the noodles move. "We Jumped a week into the future?" Inez nodded, then set her bowl on the ground. "That's right, Kanchou."

Inez was silent until the pilots, bridge crew, main mechanics, and cooks had silenced themselves, awaiting Inez's explanation. She cleared her throat before beginning. "6632 in Ninlandish years is 2198, in Earthling years, and precisely 6394 years since I became the previously stated 'Girl from the Future'. The old calendar, used on this planet, dates back to the rise of the Gods to their immortal state, from spectacularly magical humans to divine spirits."

Finding that the usually loud and rambunctious crew silent for her explanation, Inez continued. "6632 years since the rise of the Pentakami, and their worship still stands today. Terra, the green God of Earth, First into Immortality, but only second oldest. His best friend, and his sister's lover, Aqua, the blue God of Water, Second into Immortality, and the eldest. Aer, Terra's sister and Aqua's lover, the yellow Goddess of Air, Third into Immortality, and the youngest of five. Flamma, Aer's best friend, Terra's lover, and Aqua's sister, the red Goddess of Fire, Fourth and Final of the Elemental Four, second youngest. It was only soon after that the final God rose into their ranks, Magus, God of Spirit and Magic, never became part of the Original Four that held the worlds and the universe itself in balance. While they had nature, He had the minds and souls of humans, able to manipulate them as He chose."

Itsuki took this moment to interrupt. "This Magus guy doesn't sound like much of a happy camper… more like he wants to blow up the universe." Inez smirked. "Well, I suppose you would know best. You're Tears, after all."

Izumi raised her hand. "Elaborate on that, will you? I mean, you called me 'Aqua's Rage', so what the hell does that mean?" Rumiko's jaw dropped. "'Aqua's Rage'?!?"

Inez silenced him with a glance. "The Gods found it much easier to do as they wished to the world by appointing Messengers, humans with the abilities of the Gods. But, to make sure they understood that yes, they are still human, they had restrict their magic, making it so that they could only use one aspect of it. Over time, these have come into three different types under each God. Calm, Tears, and Rage."

Inez straightened a finger and an arm, pointing towards Yukina first. "Magus's Calm, the ability to use naked power, and the Copy the abilities of any Elemental Messenger." Her finger moved to Akatsuki. "Terra's Rage, Gravitational magic." Yurika was next. "Magus's Rage, Possession." And she continued, hitting everyone with nanomachines but Ruri. "Akito, Aqua's Tears, Ice Mage. Jun, Flamma's Rage, Fire Mage. Ryoko, Terra's Tears, Quakist. Izumi, Aqua's Rage, Tide Mage. Hikaru, Aer's Calm, Wind Mage, and a strong one at that." She smiled at the redhead before going on. "Jiro, Aer's Rage, Lightning and Thunder Mage. Itsuki, Magus's Tears, Music Mage." She stopped on Ruri, and smiled. "Ruri, you have no God, but, in fact, you are the embodiment of all their work. You are a Messenger of Life. A healer."

Rumiko shook his head in disbelief. "Eight Elementals and a Messenger of Life. All never found here these days. But-" He remembered the attack on the comet, which now seemed that it was the ship that towered above them. He turned to Inez. "It was you! I Copied you today!" Inez nodded, but Rumiko shook his head, beginning you shake. "I knew Lady Ai was a Gravity, but… oh no…" A look of horror crossed his face, twisting the near-permanent scowl into sheer terror. "You all have to leave Ninlan. Immediately."

Megumi spoke up before the rest of the crew. "But we can't with our ship up and running again. Why can't we stay a while at least?" She seemed the least shocked by the revelations of the pilots, but not truly surprised.

Rumiko shook his head, his black hair becoming disheveled. "Don't you understand? If you don't leave, the Temple of Magus will kill all nine of you!" Inez's jaw dropped. "What?" Rumiko nodded slowly, his amber eyes growing. "My Lady was Jumped back to the future before she could hear of it, and before she could see the new laws, and how the Pentakami is no more." Inez's eyebrows snapped together. "The Pentakami no more? But you're Magus's Calm, aren't you?" Rumiko nodded, but continued. "Just before we received messages from Mars, requesting assistance against Jupiter in the ancient war, Magus enlightened the people of Ninlan of how corrupted the Elements were, using the First Priests and Priestesses as proof. He sealed away the Element Gods, and ordered the armies to take Neptune and Uranus, sending the Twin Empresses back to Hell. The Pentakami Church became the Temple of Magus, and since then, the Temple's officials, to keep corruption away from the good people of our planet, disposed of every Elemental Mage or Healer born or found, immediately. Mages are hard to come by now, for so many of them are killed every year." A slight quiver of pain entered his tone, but he restrained it, finally looking Inez in the face. "Though you are a legend, Lady Ai, I am sure they would kill you too. I cannot let that happen to My Lady."

Izumi kept her focus on the ground, disturbed by the silence from her friends around her. "You're an Apprentice Priest at the Temple. You knew I was a mage. Why didn't you inform someone, to come and destroy us all?" Hikaru's eyes welled up at Izumi's dead voice. 'We could be dead within the hour, even. Just because Miss Fressange was in the past, and looked on as kin to the Ruler of Mars, who's to say they won't kill us all?'

Rumiko shook his head. "I'm afraid… I cannot tell you at this time."

Inez stood, thoughtful. They she glanced at the Ninlandish man again. "Are you going to turn us in?" Rumiko was silent, then spoke softly. "As a Priest, I am obligated to. However," he raised his head and smiled sadly, "though I would be sacrificing my position in the Magus clergy, apprentices haven't taken their vows yet." He glanced at his right hand, and studied the all-too-familiar silver symbol on the back of it. He clenched it into a fist. "It would be my honor to grant my servitude to the Lady Ai, no matter has blasphemous the deed."

Inez nodded solemnly, but her gray-blue eyes were full of question. "You said you are an apprentice?" Rumiko nodded. "Yes, I am an apprentice priest under Igadosu Toccata of Somenolenthe, Head Priest at the Somenolenthe Temple of Magus. Magus's Rage." Inez crossed her arms and tapped her foot, thinking. "Do you suppose, perhaps, that he too would go against your teachings?"

Several of the crew gasped. Megumi's jaw dropped. "What are you suggesting, Miss Fressange?" The woman in question smirked and glanced at the pilots. "Rumiko, you and I both know they all need to be taught. Their magic has already been swimming in the Nadesico so much, it is impossible to trace anyone else's signatures, as if anyone else's were there."

Rumiko's amber eyes widened. "They've been breaking out already?" He shook his head, his long black hair making a whooshing sound. "Of course they have. That's why you came here, isn't it? You couldn't teach them all, for a lack of remembrance." He ran a hand through his dark tresses. "I will certainly help, My Lady, but… I cannot train them all. I can take a large portion, but not all eleven of them."

Inez nodded. "Fine then. I'll take Kanchou," she nodded to Yurika, "Yukina, Ruri," she raked her eyes over them as well, "and Nagare." As her gaze stopped on him, she felt a twinge in her soul, telling her something important, but she couldn't understand. 'Well. It seems we may not be out of the woods yet, so to speak.' She closed her eyes. "I will take them, for I am leaving you with the stronger group."

Rumiko glanced at the others, who a greater majority looked angry with Inez. "Are you sure?"

Itsuki piped up, jumping from her seat on the ground and fisting her hands on her hips. "Wait just a goddamn minute. Don't we get any say in this? And just what the fuck have you been rambling about, Miss Fressange? There's no such thing as magic!"

The wind picked up suddenly as Hikaru tugged on Itsuki's skirt, forcing her to sit her ass down. "How do you know, Itsuki? Maybe just because no one on Earth had an imagination, a feeling deep inside that there's something more than just technology, doesn't mean that no one else did!" She grinned wistfully. "I knew it. I knew it all along." She turned to her best friend. "Didn't you Izumi, Ryoko? Remember? I was a wind mage, all this time! I knew it from the beginning!"

"Control yourself, Miss Amano!" barked the apprentice priest, causing the redhead to stand at attention. She grumbled, "It's Amano-san, or Hikaru-chan…" before becoming silent. Most of the others in their little friend group sighed exasperatedly.

Rumiko glanced at Inez painfully. "Lady…" he whined. Inez smiled brightly, mocking him. "Have fun, Rumiko-chan!"

Rumiko glared at Inez before stomping over to his previous seat and plopping on it. Megumi sat nearby, looking into the distance. He scooted over to her, feeling as if she was one of the few people here he could trust to be at least slightly sane. "Is there something wrong, Miss Rainerd?"

Megumi jumped slightly at the sound of his voice, but relaxed immediately. "I just… this whole thing. It's just so surreal, you know?" She gazed at him, and for some reason, found him blushing. "What's wrong with YOU?"

Rumiko looked down. "I… I'm not really sure, actually. You just… remind me of someone." His thoughts jumped to the woman from his dream. 'She does more than remind me of her. She looks exactly like her. Perhaps it is her.'

~*~

On the other side of the camp, Yurika raised her hand in question. "Um, Miss Fressange, I have a question. Does magic have anything to do with nanomachines?" Inez nodded quickly. "Very good deduction, Kanchou. In fact, in the days of the Martian Empire, nanomachines weren't created so people could breathe easier or to make the soil more cultivatable, while they could do these things. Nanomachines were created to make artificial mages, just as we use them to create pilots in this day and age."

"So, how is it that she could pilot an Aestivalis before the Jump?" asked Uribatake, inserting himself into the conversation. Inez glanced at him. "You noticed that, didn't you? Well, I have an explanation for that as well. Akito!" The Martian cook looked up from another part of the camp. She beckoned for him to approach. Putting his sleeping bag down, he walked over, "Yeah, Miss Fressange?"

"Tell me if you can remember, Akito. When did you get your IFS injection?" Akito opened his mouth to answer, but his mind suddenly drew a blank. 'Wasn't it when I graduated? No, I got a job as a produce delivery guy. Didn't I have it then, though?' "I… I don't know." Inez nodded, understandingly. "And Kanchou accidentally started a machine when the two of you were young?" The two of them nodded, not understanding where she was going. The doctor smiled. "I think it's quite safe to say this, Nagare. Native Martians are born with nanomachines in their blood, an affect of an Earthling, Lunar, Martian, Colonist, or even Jovian woman giving birth on Mars or any other place with nanomachines in the atmosphere. In short, Akito never had a nano-injection. Kanchou never did either. All three of us could pilot an Aestivalis if we wanted, Jump, and use magic."

"I'm starting to hate being born on Earth even more," complained Nagare. Inez turned to the robot boy that went unnoticed by all of those present until now. "Did you record that, Omoikane?" The electric blue lights faded from his blue eyes and he nodded, grinning. "All recorded and stored in your experimental explanations file!"

"Good."

~*~

"This is bullshit. Complete and utter bullshit." Ryoko glared at a rock on the wooden floor of Rumiko's house, as if trying to levitate the damn thing. Rumiko glanced at what she was doing before returning to his introductory notes, describing each of his new students. "Subaru-san, remember. You're Terra's TEARS, not Calm. You have no power with rocks or plants."

"Itsuki is fucking right! There is no goddamn thing such as magic!" Gai pounded a fist on the plank table he was seated at. "Dammit, Ryoko! Will you just shut the fuck up?" Rumiko shook his head, clicking his tongue. "Such language will get you nowhere, Yamada-san." Gai winced at the use of his true last name, but didn't correct the Ninlander. Hikaru rolled her eyes. "Well, Rumiko-san, we use language like this all the time. We kinda really don't give a fuck what those assholes think of us."

Jun stood from his seat on the table and pointed a finger at the artist. "Liar! You care a lot!" Hikaru raised an eyebrow before knocking his hand out of her face. "Who the fuck are you? Kanchou? Get your ass out of my head." She plopped on the floor, resting her head on her hands.

Izumi turned to Akito, who was being far too quiet. "What the hell is wrong with you?" Akito shook his head and looked down, but not before glancing at the red-clad man, who sighed at kicked in Jun in the shin, telling him to leave Hikaru the fuck alone. Izumi caught the glance, however and sighed herself. "You dumbass. Kanchou leaves you and you try for a rebound?" The Martian shook his head quickly. "It's not a rebound, I swear to god!" Rumiko looked up, to see who said it. "Tenkawa-san, you have to swear by Aqua, not whatever god you just did. The Gods prefer that people use their names in vain; it shows that there are favored, and it's your duty as a Messenger to let them know you favor them." Rumiko went back to writing.

Akito made a face at the man before turning back to Izumi. "It's not a rebound. I swear it on Aqua or whatever." He glanced to Rumiko, but he was stilling writing. He pulled a simple paper out of his pocket, and handed it to Izumi. Izumi shook her head, before calling to Gai. "How many times do I have to call you a dumbass before you realize it?" Itsuki, lounging on the wooden chair in the corner grinned. "A billion, Izumi-chan."

Izumi made a face. "Obviously!" Gai turned to the pale woman, but paled himself when she saw her open the letter. "Oh hell no! Gods-fucking-dammit, Akito! That letter was fucking private!" Akito glared at the other man before sticking his tongue out. "It's my letter now, and I can do what I want with it!"

Izumi's visible crimson eye ran across the paper, then rolled when she finished. "I retract my statement, Gai. You're not a dumbass. You're a stupid fuck!" Gai shrugged. "Yeah, I guess I am a stupid fuck." Akito looked away again, focusing his gaze on the rock that Ryoko was glaring at just a little earlier.

Jun just sighed. "You know, he's not the only stupid fuck." He sat down on the ground, bringing her knees to his chin as he stared at the fire in the hearth. "I didn't say shit to object to Miss Fressange teaching Kanchou AND Akatsuki…" Hikaru patted his back. "Come on Jun. You know that bastard only wants her for ass and tits. Eventually she'll have no one but you."

Jun nodded, his eyes welling up. "Yes. But how long must I wait? Why must I wait?"

~*~

TBC…

~*~

A/N: Wow, that was… anticlimactic in the worst way. But, yeah. The explanation of most of the things that have swimming in my head. We won't be seeing much more of Inez till near the end, and we'll be tracking the pilot's learning magic, and Megumi adapting to civilian life in a medieval setting. Go her. Why Megumi? Um… because. Anyway, next time, we actually start Rumiko's lessons, so don't, you know, MISS the next chapter. Or wait for it very long. Writer's block is a bitch. 


	9. Lessons begin

A/N: I just realized… I am at a LOSS for side stories. So, guess what? Lessons and character development! Woo-hoo! Anyway… We may actually see lots of interesting things this time. Who knows? And, I'm sorry. I lied. I guess we will be seeing more of Inez. *shrug* Well, let's get on with it!

~*~

Rumiko adjusted his glasses as he stood before the long plank table in the center of his house. "All right. I put down in front of each of you something you should be able to manipulate. Now I just want you to concentrate on changing it in anyway, and it-" he stopped suddenly as he looked over at Hikaru. "Ano… Amano-san?"

Hikaru looked up from the three small cyclones of air she created in the dusting of flour before her. "What?" Her right hand twirled as she looked a Rumiko, and he seriously could not believe the girl. "Do you mean to say that it comes that easily for you?" he questioned, his voice quivering. She nodded and smiled, making the three small ones fall and another large one come up, flour being flung in different directions. "It's easy. All you do it try to make it do something, and it does it!"

Akito raised a hand, careful to not spill the cup of water before him. "Um, Rumiko-san, maybe she has such an easy grip on it because, well, she's the only one here that believes it, so far." Most of the others mumbled their agreement, and the redhead glared at the Martian. "Akito, it's not fucking hard. Just turn the goddamn water into ice already!"

Rumiko shook his head. "She believes in what you all know is true BECAUSE she has such an easy grip on it." Hikaru leaned over her cyclone, focusing on every word that came out of his mouth. "Believe it or not, but Hikaru is the strongest of you magically. She knows what must be done, and she can do it well." She stuck her tongue out at her comrades, and Jun rolled his eyes.

Rumiko started with Akito first, kneeling before him on the other side of the table. "Tenkawa-san, just imagine that the water in the glass is frozen. Or think of something very cold. I don't care which, but just do something!" Akito crossed his arms. "What is the point of this, anyway?" Rumiko sighed and shook his head. "Your insolence is tiresome, Tenkawa-san, everyone else. I'm trying to gauge your strengths, and it's obvious that Amano-san is the strongest, for her faith in her Goddess must be strong as well!"

Hikaru raised her hand. "But, Rumiko-san, I'm atheist. I just used to pretend that I had the ability over wind when I was younger. That's the ONLY reason I have any belief in this, and that it explains so much." Rumiko shrugged. "But your skill and control is grand, remember that."

Akito rubbed his temples. "Would you just shut the fuck up, Hikaru? You're giving me a headache with all this magic-mumbo-jumbo." He barely had time to close his eyes before a gust of wind knocked all of her flour into his face. He coughed and glared at the redhead. "Dammit, Hikaru!" The redhead just grinned.

Izumi opened her crimson eyes to find water spouting in the once-empty cup before her. She smiled slightly. "Rumiko-san." He walked over and squinted at her work. "You've done this before?" She nodded. "Under Inez. That's when she called me Aqua's Rage." Rumiko nodded. "So Lady Ai at least remembers most of what she learned from Juveus-sama. That's good. At least we all know the others of your band are in good hands."

~*~

Inez made a note of the strengths of her four charges, who treated her more like they did before than as their magic teacher. Yurika stretched and yawned, wiggling her fingers. "I don't know about you guys, but I'm definitely ready to take a nap or something." Inez chuckled. "Well, I would assume that, as you have a very taxing magic, it should only be used at discretion. Yurika stopped and put her hands on her hips. "Is that a subtle way of telling me not to mess around with the freewill of people?" She smiled. "You don't have to worry about that, Miss Fressange. I, for one, think that my newfound ability is, frankly, quite rude." She made a face.

Akatsuki smirked. "Why, Kanchou, I wouldn't mind you invading my thoughts or freewill. Set a time and place." Yurika smiled at the CEO of Nergal. 'Once you get past the malicious bastard, and the perverted womanizer, he really is a nice guy, I suppose.'

Yukina obviously didn't have the same thoughts. "Kanchou, I think he only wants you to see his fantasy of having hot monkey sex with you." Yurika's jaw dropped at the Jovian girl. "Yukina! Does Minato know of your language problem?" Yukina nodded. "Yes she does. I blamed it on Genichiro-san though, so she doesn't mind too much." Ruri rested her head in one hand and closed her amber eyes, whispering, "Baka," before dozing off. Inez regarded the princess and nodded slowly. "I suppose that's all for today. I needed to gauge you're strengths and weaknesses to develop what we begin on first, but obviously that's made you slightly exhausted. You're free to rest up, now."

Yurika made a beeline from the dimly lit cafeteria to the hangar, and Yukina watched as Akatsuki licked his lips hungrily, before running after her. She sighed, and shook Ruri's shoulder gently. The healer's eyes opened slowly and focused on the Jovian girl. She shook her head, ridding herself of this feeling of disorientation that overwhelmed her. Yukina smiled at the other girl. "Come on, Ruri-chan. I'll walk you to your room." She helped Ruri to her feet, but Ruri shook her head no. "No, Yukina… I have to go back to the bridge. I can't go to sleep…" but her sentence trailed off as she yawned. Yukina put her hands on her hips. "Princess Notsumote Hoshino Ruri of Peaceland! You get your ass in bed right now! Omoikane will understand!" Ruri's eyelids started to droop, and she realized this was a battle that she could not win. She slowly nodded, and allowed for Yukina to lead her to her bedroom, barely comprehending that Yukina led Ruri into the Jovian girl's room instead of to Ruri's.

It was only after Yukina shut the door behind her that Ariko came up behind her and questioned, "Why did you put Oneesama into your bedroom?" The copy mage shrugged. "My room is closer to the cafeteria than hers, and if she walked any longer, I'd have to carry her. And I can't do that. I'm skinny and weak." She grinned. Ariko relaxed slightly. Yukina looked down both ends of the hall. "Hey, Ariko, let's go get some food, eh?." Ariko blushed and shook his head no. "No thanks, Yukina-san. I have a few more things to do for Uribatake-san." Yukina sighed. "That guy works you like a dog. I'll have to go yell at him for that."

Ariko smiled. "I think you'd have to get Oneesama or Hikaru-san to do that."

~*~

On the trek back to the campsite and the Nadesico, Itsuki noticed a troubled look on Jun's face. Leaving Ryoko's side with an explaining glance, she sidestepped over to the blue-haired man. "Somethin' wrong, Junny?"

Jun looked up to see the musician, and shook his head no. "nothing for you to be concerned about." Itsuki rolled her eyes. "Jun, I'm your friend. I'm obligated to know. And besides, I'm sure everyone is getting sick of me only being in on what's going on with me or Jiro. I might as well become enlightened. Something about Kanchou as usual, eh?" The blue-haired man nodded. "I really should have said something, demanded to be in Miss Fressange's group or something. Because I seriously think that Akatsuki is getting in on my territory." Jun glared at the ground. Itsuki bit her lip. "Did you just call Yurika your territory? What, have you marked her or something?" Jun's eyes popped open and his face turned red, Itsuki laughing at his embarrassment. "Oh, calm down Junny! Jeez!"

Jun glared at the woman, his face still very pink, "You guys just love trying to corrupt me, don't you?" Itsuki nodded, grinning. "Oh hell yes, you little pyro. And we're doing one hell of a job, aren't we?" Jun sighed. "I swear, one of these days I might just say 'fuck it' about Akatsuki and Kanchou getting together and just offer my services to any threesome they want, bondage or otherwise."

Itsuki clapped a hand on his back, her high laugh making him wince slightly. "That's the spirit, Junny!" she exclaimed, wrapping an arm around his shoulders in a quick hug before returning to her old spot next to Ryoko.

~*~

"Aw, dammit! That was just sad!" whined Hikaru from her seat in front of "Fighting Kanji" in the recreation hall. Ryoko glanced over. "What is your malfunction?" Hikaru turned her head, but kept her hands on the controls. "I only got a 463 hit combo!"

Akito choked on his Mars Cola, one of the last cans on the ship. "'ONLY' 463??? What the fuck is the matter with you, Hikaru?" Hikaru shrugged slightly. "I don't know. Seriously, isn't that fucking pathetic?" Ryoko smirked at the shock of the Martian regarding one of her best friend. "Hikaru's always prided herself with her skill in fighting games. Of course," She crossed her arms smugly, "she hasn't challenged the master."

Hikaru glared at the green-haired pilot. "You call yourself the master, Ryoko, but I have yet to see you beat my record of 782 hits." Akito's jaw dropped. "Okay, Hikaru. I think it's safe to say you have no fucking life." Hikaru smiled maliciously, and waved an arm at the seat next to her. "Would you like to go against me, Ryoko? It should prove interesting." Ryoko smiled just as cruelly, and sat down, taking the controls into her hands. "You will die, Hikaru."

Twenty minutes, fifteen rounds, and thirteen combination hits from Hikaru, all over 500 hits, later, Ryoko beat her head against her seat. "Why does Hikaru keep kicking my ass?!?" Akito, who was watching the whole thing quite intently, answered, "Because she obviously loves this game and knows everything there is to know about it. Hikaru, I am fucking impressed." Hikaru grinned and made the victory sign. Ryoko glared at the redhead. "One more time Hikaru, just one more time!" Hikaru shrugged, not fazed by Ryoko's anger at all. "Sure, Ryoko. Whatever you want. I'M not the one who needs practice." Akito settled in his chair between the two, glancing once in a while from the screen, to Hikaru's nimble fingers, to Ryoko's gritted teeth, and back again. His eyebrows were raised when Hikaru killed Ryoko once again, without even taking a hit.

"Arg!!!" yelled Ryoko, collapsing once again in defeat. She wasn't the only one, however. The ship suddenly jerked and shook violently, throwing both Hikaru and Akito to the floor, the Martian landing on the artist. As Akito quickly pulled himself of the redhead, and helped her up, Hikaru glared at Ryoko. "Jesus, Ryoko! Nice time to suddenly break out, you think?!?" Ryoko's dark eyebrows furrowed, and Akito sighed. "What do you mean, Hikaru?" asked the pianist. Hikaru just put her hands on her hips. "Don't play dumb with me, Ryoko-chan. You know perfectly well that you have magic in earthquakes!" Ryoko rolled her eyes. "Are we back on that again?"

"Yes!" Akito sat back down in his seat. "Hikaru, be reasonable. Doesn't this whole thing sound a little farfetched?" Hikaru shifted her glare from Ryoko to him. "Baka! Did you really think the air systems were messed up? Every time you get upset, it gets hella cold in whatever room you're in! Even Gai-chan said that-" She clapped a hand to her mouth.

Akito raised his eyebrows. "…Well?" he asked, trying to not suddenly jump the girl for information. Hikaru looked at he floor. "Gomen…"

Ryoko rolled her eyes again. "Tenkawa, you dog. You lose Kanchou and you try for a rebound." Akito pulled on a strand of his short hair. "God damn you people! It's not a rebound, for crissakes!" Hikaru put her hands on her hips. "'Aqua's sakes', Akito!" Akito sighed. "Fine, AQUA'S SAKES! Dammit." He slumped into his chair. "Why can't any of you believe me?"

Ryoko laid a finger on her cheek. "Let me guess. His letter made you want him again." Akito raised his eyebrows. "How did you know?" Ryoko shrugged. "It seems typical. I mean, come on. I've only been fucking Itsuki for the past month or so. Cut me some slack. I know things. That, and something I get bored and steals some of her romance novels."

Hikaru sat down, her dark brown eyes full of worry. She began playing against the computer again, not even focusing on the screen, but still annihilating every character there. 'Akito wants Gai-chan again. But if they get back together, things will just go back to the way they were before. They'll be arguing constantly, and Akito would be on perpetual PMS until they break-up again. I can see it; it's a never-ending cycle. It will go on, and on, until someone just gives up completely.' As the game's credits reflected off her glasses, her eyes went back into focus. 'Fighting games have always been therapeutic to me. Drawing, writing, and playing video games. Maybe that's why I'll never be a true person. I will always be just interested in things everyone can do, but I just happen to be better at than them.'

~*~

I amuse myself by watching these… traitors, you could call them. But they do not know that by simply existing that they go against my will. Well, I will let them live for now. To see those that I have ordered destroyed prosper is something that They must have a hand in. How They are doing this, I do not know. They are sealed away, and have been as such for centuries upon centuries.

Still, Aer's Calm is confusing. How she can be so submerged in their personal lives, and in her own abilities, is astounding. And that Aer's Rage is a pest. I will eventually rid myself of them. But for now, I will merely observe, and confuse those that believe they know me.

~*~

Rumiko knocked softly on the door, afraid of what his punishment will be. Igadosu opened the door soon after, and smiled at him sadly. Rumiko bowed his head. "I assume you know why I'm here. I only pray that you will hold off my punishment until Lady Ai is safe." Igadosu shook his head, and gestured for the younger man to come in. He said nothing until Rumiko was seated.

"You have nothing to fear, Rumiko. I will not turn you in." Rumiko's eyes widened. "What?" he cried, both relieved and confused by Igadosu's words. The older man nodded. "I will carry out the Ninlandish tradition of doing nothing in something that is not my business. It is your business, only yours and Magus's. If He deems punishment, it will be His word and hand alone. Not mine." The master priest relaxed a bit, and continued. "Rumiko, you're not my first apprentice, but you've definitely been the best I've had the pleasure of training. It's my honor that you go on to teach friends of Lady Ai, Elemental of otherwise. For that, I thank you, and will do you the favor of not reporting you." Rumiko nodded. "I thank you as well, Igadosu. You've been a fantastic teacher, a wonderful master, and a good friend. I believe, now, that I have the strength to teach those bumbling idiots I call my students." Igadosu began laughing at Rumiko's statement. "And that's the arrogant bastard I've had to deal with for over ten years!" He wiped a tear from his eyes and smiled at his former apprentice. "I wish you good luck on your journey." Rumiko stood and hugged his former master. "I'm going to need it, Igadosu."

~*~

Inez fought the wave of dizziness that consumes her conscious thought for a moment, pushing it back and continuing to talk Ruri through the process. "That's right, Ruri-chan. Just focus on closing the wound. Once you can stop and clear the most fatal of wounds and sicknesses, will we start working on making them go away entirely." Beads of sweat clung to the princess's forehead, and the sincere, but clueless robot boy wiped them off with a napkin. Only after the slit on Inez's wrist closed up effectively did Ruri reopen her amber eyes and breathe heavily.

Omoikane, Yukina, and Yurika all clapped happily. Ruri gave them something of a smile before collapsing onto a chair, winded and exhausted. Akatsuki rubbed his chin. "Why is it that Ruri's power is so difficult, as opposed to ours?" He slowly, carefully levitated his glass of water over to the out-of-breath healer, who grasped it and gulped it down quickly.

Inez rubbed her now scarred wrist. "It's difficult for her because she is working with the power of Life itself, not just Nature or Thought. It takes some of her own life to work with it, which makes her very tired. Don't worry though, Ruri." She gave the girl a reassuring smile. "It won't shave years off your life. Eventually, you won't get very tired at all."

Ruri was much more herself after she finished Akatsuki's water. "That's good to hear. Though, I never expected to suddenly have to become a medical engineer." Yukina furrowed her brow. "What did you expect to do with your life, once we get back to Earth?" Ruri glanced at the Jovian girl. "I expected to become involved with Asuka Incorporated-"

Akatsuki interrupted, chuckling, "As if we'd let a prize like you run off to work for another company, Ruri-chan." Ruri glared at the CEO of Nergal. "It would be either that or…" she trailed off, shifting her gaze to the floor. Omoikane bent down to see her face. "Peaceland?" Ruri nodded slowly. "Though I never knew my family, I am still the first heir to the kingdom. And I have become much more close to my brother than I would have otherwise."

Inez nodded. "Ruri, you may leave for the day, if you wish. Kanchou, I want you to enter Nagare's mind. Nagare, I want you give a thumb's up when what she says she sees is true, and thumb's down when she is wrong."

Ruri stood and left the dim cafeteria, able to walk by herself this time. 'It's so difficult… Will I be able to be Queen, and a Healer? Not to mention a successful computer operator… and what of Omoikane? I left my position before… and I know it will be brought up again when we get back to Earth. Will I be able to leave it again? Or will personal feelings swing my decision the other way? And will we ever get back to Earth?'

~*~

Uribatake was trying to fix the Y-Unit when Hikaru popped up out of nowhere, scaring the living daylights out of him. "Jesus, Hikaru! You pulling a goddamn Inez?" Hikaru's red eyebrows locked together. "'Pulling an Inez'?" Uribatake nodded, turning back to the wires before him. "New term we use. Miss Fressange has been freakin' appearing and reappearing at random times, rambling about this, that, or the other thing. So, now, whenever someone pops up unannounced, we call it 'pulling an Inez'."

"Hmm," grunted Hikaru, plopping down to sit next to the open panel. "So what have you been up to, Uri-P?" Uribatake shrugged. "Trying to fix the PT Engines in this baby."

"Is that what made us crash here?" Uribatake nodded. Hikaru slid down so she was lying down, blocking the path entirely. "I don't know what's wrong with me lately, Uri-P. I'm just so tired all the time."

"Must have something to do with the whole magic thing." Hikaru sat up suddenly, shocked at his probable assessment to the situation. "What makes you think that?" The mechanic shrugged again. "I told you, Miss Fressange has been Jumping all over the ship, ranting about her theories behind this whole thing." Hikaru's face darkened. "She's been Jumping…" The girl sighed. "She tells Kanchou 'No Jumping', yet she does it all the time herself. I wonder why that is."

Uribatake closed the panel and suddenly stood. "Hikaru, why is it that I have most of my intelligent conversations with you?" Hikaru grinned. "What can I say? I'm a good friend and everyone knows it." Uribatake sighed. "Well, Hikaru, I'll see you later."

"Later, Uri-P!"

~*~

Megumi smiled at Amiannah Renald of Somenolenthe, the girl who ran the general store. Amiannah smiled slightly back. The girl had nothing to argue about; Megumi was buying over 500 pence worth of just clothing for herself. Amiannah bowed graciously, her short, bushy, light blue hair falling over her ears. "Thank you very much, Miss Reinard," said Amiannah gratefully, and in Japanese, no less. Megumi nodded, caught off guard by the way an alien on a distant planet could speak Japanese.

She traveled light footed to Rumiko's house, but couldn't help but notice the odd looks she got from the town's people. She walked directly into the former apprentice's house, and he was just cooking himself some dinner. She cocked a head at him. "Rumiko-san, why do the townspeople give me such strange looks?"

Rumiko glanced back to see the girl from his dreams. "Well, Miss Rainerd, people on Ninlan don't look as you do. At least, not the way you dress." Megumi nodded, dropping her new clothes onto the table. "That's why I bought these. But, isn't it something else?"

Rumiko stopped stirring the stew immediately. He slowly walked over to the table and sat down. "Miss Rainerd-"

"Megumi, please. Or Meg. Meg is good," interrupted the voice actress. Rumiko nodded. "Meg. I don't think you're aware of this… but we had been waiting for your arrival for some time." Megumi blinked. "My arrival?"

"The arrival of your ship." Rumiko stood and stepped to a podium with a very old book open on it. He began to read from it, aloud, "'And the prophecies state that the younger priest would imagine the woman, and the comet would fall, bringing an end to Magus and, in affect, our world.'" He closed the book and turned back to Megumi. "I dreamt of you, Meg. I had a premonition, and you whispered, 'To end all lies.' The lies, I am not sure of. But you are here." He turned away. "That proves the prophecies more than anything would have."

Megumi stepped over, looking at the book. "'Book of Holy Words'… who wrote this?" Rumiko smirked. "The Gods themselves." Megumi opened it tentatively. "Interesting." She paused. "May I borrow this, Rumiko-san?" Rumiko's jaw dropped. "Of course not! That's my Book of Holy Words!" Megumi bit her lip. "Well then… Can I stay the night here and read it?" queried she, hopefully.

Rumiko put his hands on his hips. "Why the sudden interest in our culture?" Megumi shrugged. "Nothing else better to do. The radio won't work this far from any form of our civilization. That, and, well… it's just very fascinating." Rumiko sighed, but nodded. "All right, you can stay the night and read it. Let me get you a candle."

Megumi smiled, her freckles standing out slightly. "Thank you very much, Mr. Rumiko!" exclaimed the voice actress in English. Rumiko smiled back, holding a tan candle. "Please, Meg. Just Rumiko."

~*~

TBC…

~*~

A/N: This was going to be much longer, but I had a fear of this not ending up as long as I wanted it to be, so I cut it off here, rather than have it be twice this size. Yeah, that's how much I'm holding off on. Anyway, how was it, people? Lots of stuff… Oh, and Hikaru kicks lots of ass in fighting games, did you know that? Well, you do now. And… um… stuff. Lots of characterization. I would expect a lot more chapters like this. I like doing it like this… it makes it somewhat easier. Anyway, what should we expect? More exploring on Somenolenthe, more magic lessons, more characterization, including some look into Rumiko-chan's past! Anyway, as always, review me and I'll give you candy! (Disclaimer: Candy is psychological only. Tabby's metaphorical candy does not exist, therefore, you don't get any. Blah.) 


	10. Things aren't going so well

A/N: I'm fully aware that it's been a while. Bite me. October is a very busy month at my house. Get over it. That, and having to write half-a-jillion things makes me get Writer's Block, okay? So, don't kill me if this sucks ass, alrighty? Okay, what do I see here? Characterization up the ass, random scenes, technical crap, magical crap, technical and magical crap all at the same time, you know, the usual. So, hold on tight and get ready to go and read the shit I'm spitting out in my catatonic state. (Slight Ruri OOC-ness, but remember, she starting to relax herself since the Jump, so calm down. Oh, and Ryoko's not going to have much of a happy life in this chapter. Ew, and random vomiting too. Just a few warnings.)

~*~

Uribatake looked up from his work on one of the Y-Unit's PT engines to give the girl a confused look. "He what?" Ruri glanced down to the floor, feeling ashamed for coming to the Head Mechanic about this when he was obviously busy. "He believes that he is in love with me."

Uribatake nodded, then turned back to the intricate wires and panels on the engine. A regular mechanic would have to concentrate on working on something so complex and nothing else. Uribatake was no regular mechanic. "I figured that's what you said. Had to make sure. So what's the problem, then, Ruri-chan?"

A slight look of confusion brushed Ruri's face. "Uribatake-san, he is not human." Uribatake chuckled softly. "His body isn't, but I sure as hell know that his being is." Ruri shook her head. "No. Omoikane was programmed by Akino Rekoku to be the best war computer created, allowing the user to discover the best choices in a battle and carry them out."

"But he's gone beyond that Ruri, and you know it." A pause thickened the air, causing the silver-haired princess to cut it with a sharp grunt. "Huh?" Uribatake yanked a hand back and shook it; he had been shocked. He stuck his finger in his mouth.

"All the time he's spent with you has caused him to learn in ways no other computer has. Not only can he deduce the best choices, he can pick from them and carry them out, without even consulting the user for confirmation. In other words, Ruri, his mind and personality is as human as anyone else on this ship. He can learn, think, and feel for himself. I would have thought that you, of all people, would know that best."

Ruri was silent. She examined the markings on her hands, different from everyone else's symbols. "How do you know all of this?" Uribatake shrugged, facing her again. "Funny how you kids always come to me for your problems. Genji hates my damn guts, yet I have the smartest girl in the Earth Alliance asking for help with her best friend's romantic advances. Not to mention your brother is becoming something like me when I was his age, had I been on a warship at the time."

Ruri's pale lips turned upward. "God forbid. I'd hate to see the reaction of Okasama to what poor Ariko-chan has turned into now." Uribatake smirked at the teenager. "Do I sense some humor in your voice?"

"Maybe." Uribatake started to guffaw loudly. "And since when do you refer to your blood mom as 'Okasama'?" Ruri shrugged. "I have been speaking with Ariko-chan lately, when I wasn't avoiding Omoikane-chan and learning my magic. I just see the name attached to her now."

Uribatake stood up from his crouch. "And Ariko's been spending lots of time on the bridge, ne?" Ruri blinked, but Uribatake continued. "It's because of Yukina you know. And the fact that if he gets in good with Minato, maybe he can get to her there."

"Yukina is my age."

"He's aware of that, but does that turn him away? He's just too damn shy." Ruri nodded and started to turn to leave. "It's because you seem like a father-type."

Uribatake's face turned from amused to lost. "What?"

"Why we all can talk to you. And why I can talk to Kanchou. You're both like parental figures that care. I can say I'm much more willing to call you my father than Otosama." Uribatake raised an eyebrow. "That's ever-so-slightly disturbing. You ARE aware that half of my crew would die to have you talk to them one-on-one, ne?"

Ruri truly smiled at that. "Considering who is their boss, I'm not surprised." Uribatake scowled. "And now you're making fun of me. Why should I put up with this?" Ruri put a finger to her lips. "Because I'm your hypothetical daughter. Is that good enough for you?"

Uribatake shook his head and pinched one of her pale cheeks. "And of course my hypothetical daughter has many men chasing after her, including her best friend." Ruri glared at him. "Touché."

~*~

Yurika took a deep breath, concentrating on the master key that now rested in her hands instead of in the ignition of the Nadesico. One level below, Omoikane's electric eyes darted all around as he scanned the systems with his inner eyes. "Everything is now off, Kanchou!" reported the robot in his cheery tone. Yurika nodded, taking in yet another deep breath, as if preparing to do something very taxing. "Inserting master key!" she announced, immediately pushing the key back into its slot and locking it in place. The crew didn't have much warning before the ship started to come back online.

"Y-Unit connected, PT engines coming back online!" Ruri's eyes darted in another direction, shining with the electric quality of Omoikane's. "Distortion field generator normal, preparing to create field."

Minato nodded quickly. "PT engines online and started up, Kanchou! All systems nominal!" Yurika nodded. This was it. They could now leave, and pretend that all the revelations about magic had never happened.

On the lowest level, Hikaru wrapped her arms around herself. She was disappointed that they'd be leaving so soon. She was enjoying magic lessons. She liked not having to worry about going and piloting, killing others. She had finally found something she was good at that mattered. Piloting didn't matter. Writing didn't matter. Drawing didn't matter. Magic did.

Yurika was ready to get the hell off Ninlan. Going into people's minds and forcing them to do her will, POSSESSING them, was just so wrong. To know she had been given the gift was enough to make her want to leave, immediately. She didn't want to learn how to do it. She smiled serenely at the thought of going back to a peaceful Earth. Too bad that they had to leave the computer on the foreign planet. The thought of various Jumps, using Chulip Crystals of course, from Ninlan to Earth made her feel queasy. But, it was nothing to staying on the medieval planet. Closing her green eyes in rapture, she gave the final order. "All right, Ruri. Let's blow this Popsicle stand." Ruri nodded, the lights dancing in her amber eyes. "All engines, upward thrust."

It was when the last word left her lips that the ship rumbled, lifting itself from the forest floor slowly. Sighs of mixed emotions echoed throughout the bridge. Yurika was grinning like a madman. "Well, let's get out of here already!" Minato's eyebrows knit. 'She seems a bit too excited to leave, I think.' Nevertheless, she took the controls and started to define the initial settings for leaving the atmosphere that was so much like Earth's.

That was when the trouble began. The lights blanked out so suddenly, some of the startled bridge crew, namely Jun and Megumi, actually screamed. Yurika's green eyes blinked several times to get used to the low light. "Status, Omoikane!"

"PT engines shutting down, Distortion field unstable!" quivered the robot. Ruri's eyes darted in ever direction, trying to find the cause of the malfunction. Minato turned full in her chair. "Kanchou, the Nadesico is grounding itself!"

Yurika's mind flew to the first priority in all her knowledge: the safety of my crew. Grasping the controls in front of her, she yanked out the master key. "Brace yourselves!"

A mere second later the Nadesico rumbled for a much different reason. Yurika fell against the controls before her, because the Nadesico had crashed once again on the green, magical planet, and for another reason. A tear tracked down her face. 'No. No no no no. We were so close. So close. Are we stuck here forever? I… I want to go home. I want to go back to Earth…'

~*~

No one really noticed how quiet Ryoko was. Not until after the magic lesson that followed their attempts to go home. All they had worked on was controlling it, again. Rumiko had kept repeating that they couldn't do any real magic until they could control what had already been breaking out. Hikaru had seemed quite bored with the same old thing, but she was obviously the best of them at it.

No, no one really noticed there was something wrong with Ryoko until Izumi carried her book into the recreation hall for some peace while reading. Ryoko beating on a punching bag, nearly twice her size kept distracting the blue-haired pilot. She watched her green-haired friend through punches and kicks at the solid bag like there was no tomorrow, throwing her limbs in near-impossible directions to hurt the bag in any way possible.

The bag didn't move much, just swayed slightly. In her anger, Ryoko took some large steps back, then charged light-footed at the bag, bringing the suspended punching bag to the floor with her body. Landing on the solid heavily, Ryoko laid on it, breathing heavily. Her breathing hitched and her gloved hand connecting with the bag once more before Izumi realized that the tomboy she knew for so long, the kindergarten girl that beat the shit out of a third grader, the girl that only cried with her mother's death, was sobbing into the cloth of the thick bag.

Setting her book down, she padded slowly to where both Ryoko and the bag lay, tentatively reached a hand out to pat the poor girl's back, as the tomboy had done so many times whenever she had found Izumi sobbing due to her fiancée's deaths. Ryoko looked up at one of her two best friends, and Izumi's expression melted at seeing the distressed tears in her stormy, clouded blue eyes. Ryoko sat up and gripped Izumi's back, sobbing into her shoulder. Izumi rubbed her back, making soft, consoling noises and rubbing her head on Ryoko's, like a cat. 'The last time I've seen her this bad, Mom died. And she was fucking attached to her piano then. Hey…' Izumi pulled Ryoko off her a bit. "Ryoko, want to go see Itsuki? Maybe she'll let you use her keyboard for a while." Ryoko sniffed and nodded slowly. Izumi stood, helping Ryoko to her feet. The tomboy wrapped her arms around herself. Izumi smiled at her friend and wrapped an arm around her shoulders, leading her out of the recreation hall.

It was when Ryoko's crying had slowed that Izumi started to probe for answers. "So, what happened, Ryoko? If you agreed to go see Itsuki, it must not be her." Ryoko shook her head. "I… I'm…" Her black eyebrows snapped together as the sentence left her lips at warp speed. "I'm fucking jealous of Hikaru!"

Izumi had to blink a couple of times. 'Ryoko is jealous of Hikaru?' "The fuck? How come? I mean, Jesus, you have a rich, genius, beautiful woman in love with you, you get lesbian sex on a regular basis, you're the best pilot we've ever seen, you're beautiful, you have a perfect body, and you're musically talented! What the hell more do you want?"

Ryoko stared at the floor. "You may not have noticed this, but Hikaru was always better than me at piloting. Maybe not at face value, or at strategies, but she's always had more control. Piloting… and now magic." Izumi was ready to do a facevault. "You're kidding me, right? You're jealous of Hikaru's magic?"

"Well… not so much her MAGIC as her TALENT." Izumi slapped her forehead. "My god, Ryoko, am I hearing this correctly? You're jealous of Hikaru's magical strength. Jesus fucking Christ. Do you realize how stupid this sounds?" Ryoko growled low in her throat, and Izumi realized she had wandered into dangerous territory.

"Look, Izumi, if you fucking don't want to listen, don't ask, all right?" Ryoko's confession and outburst made Izumi forget where they were going, and when the tomboy yanked herself out of Izumi's embrace, Izumi didn't know why she did, until she saw the room number. '104, Itsuki's. Shit. Now Itsuki's going to jump on my ass for being a bitch to her sextoy. Dammit. Just what I need.' She sighed. 'Well, maybe I could go complain to Inez and get my mind off it somehow.' She crossed her arms and headed towards the infirmary.

~*~

Rumiko hadn't even noticed the Megumi was sleeping in his chair again, for a second night in a row. He hadn't noticed his Book of Holy Words cradled in her arms, instead of on it's rightful alter. He barely even noticed it was night until he had glanced out his window, alarmed at how dark it was. He got up to close his curtains, to hide the moonlight, and to light a candle, but his legs felt wobbly. He stumbled over an unseen object, and his sight jumped to Megumi, scared that he had awakened her. She just pulled herself more into a ball. After lighting the single candle on the table, he pulled a blanket from his bed and laid it on the younger girl. All of this he did without much thought. It was Hikaru's demonstration of trying to mess up the other mages-in-training that had gotten the former apprentice priest to think back to the day, nearly twenty years ago, when his twin sister was executed.

"Fuck…" Rumiko immediately covered his mouth at his language. Apparently his students were making an affect on him. He shook his head, despite his original shock. "Why now? I have more things to worry about than-"

"-the past…" finished Megumi, rolling over in her sleep. Rumiko glanced at the Communications Officer. 'I have a feeling that she's in sync with me. I may have to ask Lady Ai about this.'

Megumi's blue eyes lazily opened and adjusted quickly to the dim light. Sitting up in the chair she was slowly beginning to claim as her bed, she rubbing her shoulders. "Why was it so noisy?" Rumiko chuckled. "I was just thinking."

"About what?" Megumi leaned back to crack her back, but not before Rumiko caught her at it and glared at her. "Don't do that. You'll just make it worse. Sit on my bed." Megumi, too sleepy to wonder what he was going to do, sat on the bed as told. Rumiko pulled his body behind hers and began to gently push her shoulder muscles into releasing their tension. "Just things from when I was younger. Nothing for you to worry about."

Megumi pulled her braid fro behind her to over her shoulder, giving him more access to her back. "Well, I'm awake now, so feel free to rant. You are kind of doing a good job." She blushed a bit at just how good a job he was doing. Rumiko thought nothing of her comment, however, and nodded, rubbing with somewhat inexperienced hands on her orange-clad back.

"I don't know what it was, but something today sparked me to think about my sister." Megumi smiled. "You have a sister? Where does she live? I have to meet her now." Rumiko's amber eyes clouded to golden. "She's dead."

Megumi's jaw dropped. "Oh Jesus. Christ, Rumiko, I'm sorry." Rumiko shook his head. "Don't worry about it. It's been almost twenty years since she was executed."

Megumi froze and turned her head to make sure she heard right. "She was executed? Why?" Rumiko stopped rubbing her back, and looked into the distance. "When children turn three, they're mature enough to go through magical testing, usually done by the Head Priest at the Temple of Magus. Igadosu was still an apprentice then." Rumiko's breathing hitched a bit, but he willed himself to be as stoic about this subject as possible. "My twin sister, Galway, and I were old enough, and we had signs of magic. The priest, his name escapes me, found that yes, both my twin sister and I were mages. My parents were ecstatic, until they heard the bad news, that is. See, I wasn't kidding when I said they executed healers and Elemental mages on sight." Megumi's jaw went slack. "My god… and your sister-"

"-was Aer's Calm, a wind mage, an Elemental. They beheaded her." Megumi's hands, trembling, covered her mouth. She gagged a bit and Rumiko stood instantly, rushing to get her a cup of water. He didn't quite make it. Megumi ran out the door, vomiting outside with such a force, you'd think she had stomach flu. Rumiko carried the cup outside and held her hair back as she coughed and gagged again, more vomit spilling onto the ground.

An hour later, Rumiko and Megumi sat in her chair, the mage stroking the girl's hair. "Does your stomach feel better now?" he asked, whispering. Megumi nodded slowly. "Are you going to be quiet now?" she responded. Rumiko laughed throatily. "I suppose so," he answered, a yawn drawing the last word out. Megumi smiled and snuggled against him. "Good…" she mumbled, drifting off to sleep. Rumiko couldn't move if he wanted to. He was drifting off to sleep in this spot as well. 'Well, it doesn't really matter. Let my students talk. Magus knows they have nothing better to do with their lives.' His amber eyes fluttered closed as sleep swallowed him.

~*~

How amusing. My own minion, pining for his traitorous sister. And no, his students don't have anything else better to do. I mean, look, Ai-chan had to practically drag them all the way out here, and most of them don't care about their abilities. Just as well. Amusing as they are, I need to get them out of the picture soon. The more they learn, the stronger they get. I feel it. I just dread getting rid of them. They are so entertaining. I don't believe I've had so much fun in at least five millennia. Well, it must be done, and with planning of course. What, do you see Me stupid enough to take on eight of Their Messengers, three of My own, and a Healer without a plan of attack? How rude. Hmm, it seems I may have to take that one out as well. Pity. He was trained to be one of My followers, too. Oh well. Such is My work.

~*~

"I don't think I quite understand. Why would Ryoko be jealous of Hikaru?" Inez absently eyed some of the powders they had. She was almost sure that if you mixed a few of them, you could make a very satisfying explosion.

"Well, you know how Hikaru's stronger than everyone else, and for some reason Ryoko got this weird idea that she's a better pilot, and just general things like that. I don't get it either." Izumi just stood with her arms crossed, making sure the blue-haired girl at the counter didn't start giving them weird looks for their conversation, clothes, or relation.

"I know quite well how Hikaru's a better mage then Ryoko. Ryoko just does have the knack that Hikaru does. None of us do. And Hikaru has been quite the pilot, but Ryoko has always been the boss of you all, ne?" Izumi shrugged. "It's always been that way. Hikaru has talent, and doesn't care. Ryoko's got talent too, but she actually cares, and flings it around, shaking it in people's face. Hikaru barely ever got the spotlight at Pilot's training; it was always 'Subaru-this' and 'Subaru-that'. And Hikaru's finally happy with one of her talents, and Ryoko gets jealous because she's not as good, and not the center of attention regardless." Izumi ran a hand through her bangs, pushing them back a bit and frowning when they felt back into place.

"Seems that Ryoko just needs praise for being who she is. Low self esteem." Inez stood with her choice, a small packet of crushed cobalt blue crystals. Izumi nodded. "Sounds about right. Ryoko never has had much thought about herself. Apart from dying her hair green." Inez started to leave the store without Izumi, and the girl furrowed her brow before following. "What, trying to leave without me?"

"Maybe." Izumi glared at the doctor. "You're such a bitch sometimes."

Inez smiled. "I know."

~*~

Yurika smiled across the cafeteria to her new boyfriend. He smiled back. Minato rolled her eyes. "Kanchou, I mean no disrespect, but why are you being stupid? I mean, dating Akatsuki? Where's your self-respect, woman?" Yurika shook her head at the helmswoman. "I'm not quite sure why I'm dating him. Or what suddenly turned me to him for some reason. But… Magus, you have to admit he's easy on the eyes, charming, and all those things that can make a girl feel special."

"Not to mention sleazy, perverted, and a womanizer. Oh yeah. Great catch, there, Kanchou." Yurika narrowed her green eyes at Minato. "Excuse me, but I whipped all that shit out of him, if you don't mind." The abrupt, absurdity of Yurika's statement made Minato collapse in laughter. "Nice, Kanchou. Nice." Yurika smiled, proud of herself. "Besides, I told him if I caught him trying to get into another girl's pants, I'd stab him to death with a spork." Minato continued to snicker. "I can see you doing that, seriously."

"Good, because I would." Yurika picked up her spork and made stabbing motions towards Akatsuki. He held his hands up and made a face: 'What did I do?'

Yurika smiled: 'Nothing… yet.' Minato looked to the sky. "Whatever Gods we're supposed to follow now, help me from the BDSM couple. Please. I'll pay you." Yurika shrieked with laughter and attempted to kick the helmswoman. "Minato, you're really cool, you know that?"

Minato breathed on her fingernails and rubbed them on her uniform. "I'm just perfect in every way like that, you know?" Yurika giggled.

~*~

Ryoko frowned as Itsuki pulled the violin from under her chin. The violet-haired pilot looked at the Quakist expectantly. "Well?" Ryoko sighed, sure that this was going to go in a bad direction. Music always seemed to do that between her and Itsuki nowadays.

"Personally, I always thought 'Regret' sounded better on piano. But… I guess it's okay on violin too. I just like it on piano better."

Itsuki put her violin in her case and started talking as if she didn't hear Ryoko's comment. "On the piano it sounds desperate, and violin is much sadder. That's the point, right?" Ryoko sighed once more, this time with the predictable boiling anger in her rising. 'Great. Fight #177 commences… now.' She gritted her teeth, willing herself to stay stoic, to not yell. "The POINT is for ME express the sadness and 'REGRET' after Okachan died."

Itsuki sighed and rolled her dark brown eyes. "Are we back on that again? I told you before, Ryoko. It takes more than one person to make music." Ryoko crossed her arms and distanced her gaze. "Oh, what do you know, Itsuki." Itsuki glared at her lover, fisting her hands on her hips. "More than you, obviously."

Ryoko focused her clouded blue eyes to a glare at the musician again. "Just because you went to a music school doesn't mean-"

"You forget also that I supposedly have Music magic," interrupted Itsuki. The tomboy stood and curled her hands into fists. "Which is the ability to influence with music," shouted she, sarcastically. "I know, Itsuki!"

Itsuki set her jaw. "Which means I know more about how someone can interpret a song."

"I don't care how they interpret it! Dammit, Itsuki, I wrote it to blow off my steam and to stop bawling and ripping up things, not to influence people!" screamed the tomboy, her face taking on a rather nasty red hue.

Itsuki somehow kept her tone calm. "I can't talk to you when you're shouting like this." Ryoko stamped a foot. "And I WON'T talk to you when you've got COTTON in your ears!"

Itsuki's expression darkened. "I do not have cotton in my ears. I'm hearing you quite well. You're very loud, Ryoko."

"You're HEARING me, but you don't seem to be LISTENING!"

"I am listening. You're just wrong and you can't accept it!" Itsuki voice raised an octave as she finished her sentence. Ryoko stormed out, shouting, "I am NOT!"

Itsuki sighed and sat down on her bed, rubbing her temples. Sometimes she just couldn't control her little love.

Ryoko ran down the hallway, not caring who she literally ran into. When she came to the first intersection she threw her body against the wall. Sinking to the floor, she watched her hands tremble in anger. She could have sworn she felt the Nadesico tremble as well, but she wasn't very sure. Not that she cared.

~*~

TBC…

~*~

A/N: …um, yeah. Stuff. I'm aware that I ended that crappily. Leave me alone. Yeah. What do I see for next time? Hmm, good question. Characterization up the ass, some bonding, and let's not forget something to do with Hikaru-chan. I kinda didn't follow her at all, but that's okay. I followed Ryoko, and we haven't done that in a while. It was a good change. So, just how crappy was it? Eh? As usual, R&R. SHADOW!!! Please come online again someday. ;_; Can we say desperate need for a beta? 


	11. Are things just falling apart or what?

A/N: I'm starting to not like the way this is flowing. It just seems like extreme amounts of characterization and magical BS. Arg. Well, I'm not going to stop, oh hell no. And I'm not going to redo the others. Too much work. Well, all the characterization from this point forward will strictly friends, family, relationships… and then the random character ones. You know the ones I'm talking about. Two or three random characters that never talk to each other actually do. I know this may not seem that different, but get over it. This is the slow part of the fanfic, anyway. We'll eventually get to the flowing part. Soon, hopefully. So, this time, lots of boring talking, a little explanation that will come in handy MUCH later in time… And some Hikaru stuff at the end. Yes, she will be experiencing jealousy and verbal bitchslapping. This is something to bring the pilots closer together, so there IS a purpose. Bite me. Here comes some of the most boring things I've ever written. 

~*~

Rumiko turned away from the fireplace, having set the tea onto boil for something to settle his nerves after the lesson. His amber fell onto the green-haired Quakist, and narrowed. "Ryoko-san, I admire your control, but you have to loosen your grip. That's the only way you can let some of your magic seep out."

Ryoko crossed her arms. "Maybe I just can't do it." Rumiko fisted his hands on his hips. "Don't give me that. Mages are always capable of using their abilities, just at different strengths and restraints. Now," He sat down in a chair in the center of the room, away from the table, and looked at Ryoko, "try to make the ground under me, under the chair, shake, enough to knock me off the chair."

Ryoko closed the blue-eyes, and imagined the ground under him move. A sigh from his direction proved that she was doing it wrong. "Ryoko, don't just imagine it happening. Make it happen. Do something, anything that you believe would make the ground under me move." Ryoko held her right hand out and push with her mind, as hard as she could, but it just wouldn't work.

Growling in frustration, and her anger for not having any talent in this field whatsoever, she stomped her foot. A shockwave shook the entire house, enough to knock some of her friends off their seats. Her jaw dropped as she felt it. Rumiko stood and brushed off his white robes. "Very well, Ryoko. That was exceptional for someone of your strength."

Izumi, on the other side of the room, was not as amused. "Ryoko, did you have to go all out?" she whined, rubbing her head. She leaned on the table in front of her. "I have such a headache and that didn't exactly help." Hikaru, next to her, crossed her arms. "Aer, Izumi, stop whining. Nobody wants to her this shit. 'Oh, I have a headache, feel sorry for me, boo hoo.'" A scowl was set in her young-looking face, one that was pointed at everyone, and no one at the same time.

Izumi narrowed her visible crimson eye at her best friend. Just then, the teapot started whistling. Her glare zipped over to the kettle, and it tipped over immediately, the boiling water dousing the fire underneath. The sudden death of the only fire in the room made Jun feel like something in him had escaped, like his soul. He gasped and shuddered, hugging himself against the empty feeling.

Rumiko rubbed his temples. "Izumi, your signature is all over my fireplace as it is. Did you have to do that?"

"Signature?" asked Itsuki, seated the farthest away from Ryoko. Rumiko nodded. "Signatures are what we use to determine one's magic from another. Say if Lady was to use her magic to levitate something. It would have gravity magic traces on it. But one would be able to distinguish that it was she that used gravity magic on it, and not Akatsuki-san. Something of a magical finger print."

Those present nodded, taking in this information. Akito raised his hand in question. "But how does that apply to Copies? I mean, if you use someone else's magic-"

"My signature would be erased, and it would say it was that person's magic was on it, not me using theirs."

~*~

After their own magic lesson, Yurika was surprised to see Ryoko sitting by herself at the pilot's table in the cafeteria. In fact, there was no one else in there except the cooking crew. Which did not include Akito at the moment. Yurika walked over to the unfamiliar table and sat down next to her. "Are you all right, Ryoko?"

"No." Such a short statement, in such a monotone voice, made Yurika's eyebrows gather. The statement held so much power in it, yet it was not intentional. She rested her head in her hands. "How come?"

Ryoko stared at the metallic surface of the table. "I guess my life is just sucking lots of ass right now." She crossed her arms. "Itsuki is breathing down my neck constantly, we're always fighting, and it's about the stupidest things, you know? And this whole magic thing. I can't help but feel jealous of Hikaru for being better than me. I've always been the best, and now that she's better than me… I don't know. I should feel happy for her, but the fact that I'm not happy for her makes me feel guilty."

Yurika nodded slowly. "I understand. To tell you the truth, I don't like Ninlan very much. I'm not into the whole medieval thing. And magic is so… wrong."

"How so?"

"Miss Fressange and Rumiko-san both say I'm Magus's Rage. My magic is tied to the minds of people. I can look into people's minds and know what they're thinking."

"Doesn't sound so bad to me."

"Well," Yurika looked at the table as well, "It wouldn't be, if it weren't for the other side of it. I can control what people think, say, and do. The correct term for my magic is… Possession."

"Holy crap," gasped Ryoko. "Shit, man." Yurika nodded, a sad smile playing her lips. "Yeah. Though, Nagare keeps telling me I can possess him any time I want, I think he just wants me to feel more comfortable about it with him."

Ryoko stopped staring at the table and looked Yurika in the face, like a friend. "What's been going on between you two, anyway?"

"Oh, wouldn't you know it. The asshole starts to show me that he can be good to women, but I still don't trust him."

"Even though you're fucking him."

Yurika grinned. "Yeah, pretty much!" Ryoko chuckled. "So, is he any good?" Yurika shook her head. "Not really. I've had much more satisfaction from masturbating, but hey. What're you gonna do?"

Ryoko started laughing. "I never actually thought I would have a conversation with you about sx, Kanchou!" Yurika smiled. "Me, either. Is Itsuki any good?" Ryoko's laugh was cut short. She pushed a green lock of hair behind her ear. "When it's not make-up sex." Yurika winced. "Ouch. That's got to hurt." Ryoko sighed. "Don't I know it."

Yurika rested a hand on Ryoko's cheek. "No matter how many times you fight, don't let it go. You know that this is right. I know it, you know it, she knows it, and the rest of the damn crew knows it." Ryoko nodded. "It's just our differences-"

"Have to be conquered. Ryoko, you have to stay together. Imagine your life without her anymore."

Ryoko's face went blank, and so did her mind. She felt something touch her inside. Yurika nodded. "Nothing, right?" Ryoko nodded. "Is that-"

"Yes."

~*~

Akatsuki steered clear of Ryoko on his way to the cafeteria, but he found Yurika sitting there, contemplating. He walked over and hugged her from behind. "Hey."

Yurika looked behind her and smiled. "Hey." Something in her tone made Akatsuki's eyebrows knit. "What's wrong?"

Yurika shook her head. "Oh, nothing really." She leaned back into his hug and closed her eyes. "I was just talking to Ryoko about her rocky relationship, and thinking." She took a deep breath. "She and Itsuki are always fighting, and making up, and fighting, and making up. In an endless cycle, you know? And I was just wondering…"

"How serious am I about this relationship?" Yurika's jaw dropped. "How did you know?" Akatsuki laughed. "It was obviously coming. I saw it a mile away." He tone fell till it sounded more like purring then talking. "Yurika, I've been with lots of women in my time. Many of them wanted me for money, for sex, for love. I never got serious with any of them. You're the only one I've actually seduced with my charm, and not with anything else. Not to mention you ARE a fine catch." He kissed her neck, enjoying how she began to relax even more into his arms. "No, you and I will be together for some time. Unless you decide to find someone else." Yurika shook her head in her incoherent thoughts. "No. I won't. For now at least."

The cocky gravity mage smirked. "And now is all that matters."

~*~

A pair of cold hands slid over Ruri's eyes. "Guess who?" Ruri almost smiled. No one had hands as cold as, "Omoikane," she guessed, knowing she was right. The hands slid away. She turned to see Omoikane pouting. "You weren't supposed to guess…" Ruri turned back around. "Why did you call for my attention, Omoikane?"

"Oh!" He straightened up, somewhat soldier-like. "It's lunchtime, Ruri-sama. I'm supposed to take your shift!" Ruri sighed. The idea of food, especially with lessons later on that day, sounded horrible. "No, thank you, Omoikane. I'm not hungry."

Omoikane blinked, the electric lights in his eyes fading in and out. "But, Ruri-sama, you must eat to keep up your strength." Ruri shook her head. "It won't keep up my strength if I vomit it up later." Panic shook Omoikane; was there something wrong with Ruri? "Are you sick, Ruri-sama? Yu really shouldn't be working, then. I'll take you to the infirmary." Ruri turned quickly and shook her head. "I'm not sick, Omoikane. Just exhausted. And I don't have much of an appetite. That's all." Omoikane looked at the ground, ashamed for assuming that she was not well. Ruri felt guilty at making the robot feel bad, and came up with a solution.

"You know, Omoikane, I don't think I will go to lessons today. Can you walk me to my room? I think I'm going to take a nap." Joy brightened Omoikane as he nodded his head quickly, pulling Ruri out of her seat and in the direction of the dorms. Though it was a bit difficult, Ruri smiled, happy with the concern he showed her. He may have loved her, but he was still a very good friend.

~*~

There was a knock at Akito's door. His eyes widened and, expected a certain someone, he ran over and opened the door. Unfortunately for him, it wasn't who he was expecting. He relaxed immediately. "Hey, Jun."

Jun waved a little bit. "Um, can I come in?" Akito suddenly remembered that he had manners and nodded, letting the fire mage into his room. Jun walked over and sat on Megumi's beanbag chair, refusing to sit on Akito's futon, which is where Akito sat now.

"Did you want something, Jun?" asked the Martian, a little wary of having the person who he knew hated him for the time that Akito was with Jun's love, Yurika. Jun shrugged. "No. Not really. I just wanted to know if there was something wrong with you. You've been pretty quiet for the past few weeks. Does this have anything to do with Gai's letter?"

Akito threw up his hands in frustration, falling backwards onto his sheets. "Does my mood always have to go back to that? Jes- uh, Aqua! Shit!" Jun smiled. This was the Akito their group missed, the comical, cynical Martian bitch that could never take the heat. He continued to rant, however. "Maybe I'm not so upset about Gai as I am about Yurika and all you assholes!"

"Eh?" The last part caught Jun off guard. "Us?" Akito nodded furiously from where he lay. "Yes, you. All I've been hearing since I confronted him about his letter is 'is it a rebound' or 'you just want someone to hug you and kiss you and call you sexy.' It has nothing to do with that! Can't anyone see that I love him, dammit?"

Jun wrapped his arms around his torso. "What about Kanchou, Akito?" The cook seemed to have an answer for that, too. "Yurika told me that she feels like a damn pedophile when she's with me. But that doesn't bother me so much anymore. But seeing her with that perverted PRICK pisses me off just as much." Jun nodded. "I understand entirely. Frankly, Yurika could do so much better. Akatsuki is just so ruthless… I wouldn't be surprised if he's slept with every woman on this ship, behind Yurika's back. And she's threatened to cut his dick off with a spork if he did." Akito sat up, leaning on his elbows. "I thought it was stab to death with a spork." Jun shrugged. "Which one would make him cry more?" Akito smiled. "True."

"I may have cried every night when you were with Yurika, no matter how short the timeframe was, but it was certainly easier to let go and cry, than want to rip Akatsuki limb from limb for using his seduction skills on MY Yurika," grumbled Jun. Akito smirked. "YOUR Yurika, now?"

"You better friggin' believe it."

~*~

Inez was not quite happy with the size of her class today. With Ruri not feeling well, as reported by Omoikane, and Akatsuki and Yurika ditching to go have sex, as reported by Uribatake, the only one in her lab besides her was Yukina.

'"But with hard times comes great opportunity,' thought Inez, quoting a scripture from the Book of Holy Words, 'especially to those the Gods favor."' She smirked. 'If the Gods don't favor me, I would have died years ago.' "All right, Yukina. Since these slackers just want to spend time in their beds, we get to have a little one-on-one class, today. Besides, I don't think I've worked with you quite as much as the others."

"Because my magic isn't as complex as the others, so with simple training, I should be able to use it on my own." Inez winced at Yukina's words. "Did I say that? Never mind. Well, do you think you've been handling it well?"

Yukina shook her head, ashamed. "No, ma'am. I don't think I've doing well at all. I mean, it's just so confusing-" Inez nodded. "And the way I've been teaching Ruri, Kanchou, and Nagare isn't the same with you. You have pure power, Yukina. They have power to use with things, but you can use it directly. You have to channel it." Inez held out her right hand. "Try to find my magic and memorize it. As you become more used to the process, it will only take seconds." Yukina grasped Inez's hand and closed her eyes. She felt a dark green, glowing mass. In her mind's eyes, it looked like Martian desert, blue eyes that reflected trauma, young pigtails, extensive education, the title of doctor. 'Miss Fressange.' Yukina memorized her magic and being in a matter of minutes. As her eyes opened, they near-glowed with a dark green tint. Inez smiled. "Good, now just channel the power through your body, towards something. I would suggest the floor, levitating yourself."

Yukina felt the foreign magic in her, and she gathered it into her hand. She abruptly opened her hand, letting all the magic push against the ground with such a force that she zoomed up into the air. She opened her eyes, and sank to the floor slowly. The dark green tint faded, and disappeared.

Inez clapped as she fell to the floor, exhausted. "Nice work. Exceptionally well for you, as you haven't had any direct education yet." Yukina looked up from the floor and smiled weakly.

"Great, can someone help me up now? My body feels like gelatin." Inez chuckled and lifted the Jovian girl off the floor. "Another round before you head to bed?"

~*~

Do they actually believe they can stop Me, Magus the Ambitious? Oh, what fools! And their teachers are just as foolish. One of My own teaching Elementals, and not reporting that GIRL! And their teaching methods, ha! If I knew the methods have gotten so pathetic, I'd have killing My own Messengers by now!

My amusement has reached a new stage. Their incompetence has gotten boring. However, I am highly amused by the prospect of them attempting to defeat Me. Oh, it will be much fun. I will play with them like a child does to the ants before squishing them like the insects they are. I will enjoy it.

I cannot wait until our inevitable battle.

~*~

Itsuki knocked on the dorm room door. The door opened, revealing Minato, still wide awake and still in her uniform, despite it being around midnight. "Itsuki-san?" Itsuki nodded. "Minato, can I talk to you?" Minato let her in her room, but did not let the question drop. "About what?"

"Well, I just need to talk to someone that's not so close to the problem." Minato nodded; Ryoko had done the same thing with Kanchou a few weeks ago. Oh, the things you learned on the Nadesico grapevine. "Well, start ranting about Ryoko, then."

Itsuki didn't bother to ask how she knew; she was sitting in front of one of the biggest gossips on the crew. "I don't know what's come over me lately. I've just been rabid about music to her, and it's not making things any better the way I keep picking her works apart. But she's just so thickheaded, she refuses to listen to my constructive criticism! And then we just break up, then make up later. It just a never-ending cycle that's tearing us farther and farther apart and I don't know how to fix it!" Itsuki sighed, feeling the weight off her shoulders already.

"It seems to me like you're just bickering like a married couple. But it's kind of like a napkin." To demonstrate, Minato ripped a paper towel off the roll in her bathroom, then came back to her room. "You rip it apart somewhat, over and over," she ripped it, stopped, and repeated the process, "And it will eventually separate." When she said that, the paper towel ripped in two. "And it'll be even harder to put back together. But if you tape it up while it's still somewhat together, it may not be perfect, but it will be much more connected than if left hanging."

Itsuki smiled. "I don't know if anyone's told you this, but Tsukumo-san picked a great one. Beauty, brains, and I bet you can kick ass too, so brawn." Minato smiled back at the purple-haired lesbian. "That's a wonderful compliment, Itsuki. I'm sure he agrees with you."

Itsuki turned to leave. "Minato, I know he does. Because it's the undisputable truth."

~*~

Yukina wasn't seen until she wandered into the hangar the next morning. Yawning, she glanced around the gigantic room for any sign of the Peaceland Prince. She saw some trace of silver and blue in Uribatake's office, so she went in there.

Ariko was digging for one of the specially created toolkits when Yukina greeted him. "Ohayou, Ariko-chan! What's up?" He jumped and hit his head on a shelf above him. Rubbing his head in pain, he glanced over his shoulder. "Oh, hi, Yukina-san. I'm just looking for something- oh, there it is!" He grasped the box and checked inside for everything, then headed out the door. "I'll see you later!"

Yukina followed him. "Now just hold on. We never get to talk anymore, Ariko! You're the only person anywhere near my age that's not a robot or a stoic psycho, so talk to me!" Ariko turned his head towards her, still heading in the direction of the Y-Unit. "Well, what do you want to talk about, Yukina-san?"

"What have you been doing lately?" Ariko shrugged. "Helping fix up the Nadesico so she'll run. And, since the attempts to take off a few days ago proved futile, trying to figure out what went wrong with the PT Engines. Which is where I'm going now."

"If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were avoiding me." Ariko blushed suddenly, unexpected to Yukina. First her jaw went slack, then a big grin broke out on her face. "Ariko… Ariko… ARIKO~!!! You have been avoiding me, ne? I wonder why that is~? You like me, ne~? Ariko, you do, ne? I know you do!" She started poking him in the shoulder. "You want me, don't you Ariko-chan? Ne? Ne? I knew it! I knew it!" Ariko blushed even more, if it was possible. "Shut up! I do not!" But it was a lost cause. Yukina knew his little secret about her and all she was going to was tease him.

And he dropped the box on his toe. It just seemed like one of those days.

~*~

Jun was surprised when Yurika came up to him at breakfast. "Jun, can we talk?" Jun nodded, confused, and left the room with catcalls and cheers shouted for him by his tablemates.

When they left the cafeteria, Yurika hugged him. "Oh, Jun. I just realized how truly awful I've been to you this whole time, and I want to apologize. Please forgive me?" Jun, dazed by this situation, nodded slowly again, and started to reach up to hug her. "Of course I forgive you, Yurika, uh, I mean-Kan-" Yurika pulled away suddenly. "Jun, I'm asking you this as a friend." Jun's expression darkened. The hall seemed to become hotter. "I know."

"No, Jun, you don't." She made him look at her. "I know you love me. Why else would you have proposed to me? And you know I love you. Why else would I accept? But, Jun, that love has rotted. I only love you as a friend, my best friend. I'm aware that you love me as something more. But you have to accept it. I'm with someone else now. Crying and violent fits will not change it, and though they may lead to an escape, it's not the best thing to do." Jun's eyes welled up, and he stared at the floor.

"I never want to lose you, Jun. I may not love you the same way, but I do just as much. And I want you to still give me advice when I need it." She turned his face towards hers again. "I mean, I missed you telling me how much of a dumbass I was for sleeping with Nagare!" A weak smile tugged Jun's lips. Yurika smiled brilliantly at him. "I appreciated you when you quit the UEAF for me, and I appreciate you the same amount now. We were always a great team in school, and on the ship, despite how ditzy we all know I am. And I don't want you to suddenly not ever talk to me again. Okay?"

Jun buried his face into Yurika's shoulder and pulled her to the ground with him. "I love you, Yurika, I love you so much…" She patted his back. "I know. I love you too."

~*~

Hikaru headed towards the hangar bay, wanting, needing to talk to Uribatake. She hadn't felt quite herself in a few days, and she needed to talk to someone that wouldn't question, unless it's to find out more, and that would listen and understand.

But she just couldn't find him. The hangar seemed much busier than usual, and she didn't see a single mechanic with Uribatake's trademark leather jacket. She shrugged; this was a problem easily solved. 'Just ask one of the guys where he went.'

She walked up the closest mechanic, a guy with chin length floppy blonde hair and cute little blue eyes. She tapped his shoulder and smiled at him. "Excuse me, but do you know where I can find Uri-P?"

He narrowed his already small eyes at her. "And why should I tell you?" His cold tone caught her off guard. Her red eyebrows knit. "Because I'm his friend and I need to talk to him."

He scoffed. "Well, Amano-SAN, Chief is busy right now and can't be bothered. Come back and ask him to make models with you later, all right?" His sarcasm in his voice made Hikaru fume, which of course made the air in the room move much more. Ignoring her hair flying in all directions, she glared at the mechanic. "Just tell me where the fuck he is, will you?"

The man rolled his eyes. "Look, Amano. He doesn't need some ugly little redhead to keep him company. I don't see why he bothers with you. You're not anything special. So why don't you just go back to your room and draw while we get some real work done."

Hikaru's eyes welled up and she ran off. 'I am not ugly. I'm just short. And I am something special. Aren't I? And Uri-P is my friend… why was the man so rude to me? I don't even know his name!' When she reached the room she shared with Ryoko and Izumi, she clambered up the ladder. She didn't stop rushing until she was wrapped in her blanket and rubbing her face in her pillow. Then she finally let herself cry.

~*~

TBC…

~*~

A/N: I told you, boring characterization. Oh well. Just a little more to this before the plot begins to rear it's ugly head right smack dab in the middle of it. Am I wasting time? In a way. See, I want them to get somewhat good at their newfound skills, and that takes time. I want them to have some chance in the climactic fight, you know. So that's why we're seeing so much characterization and relationship building now. All righty, next time! Finally, another breakfast scene! More Hikaru getting upset, things get patched up… and some touching of the actual plot! WOW! Anyway, until next time, sayonara! Constructive criticism is adored and reviews are cherished!


	12. Shattered

A/N: Wow, it's been a while. Anyway. Recap. Signature explanation, random people yapping, and something get fixed, while others are contemplated, and ever more are ripped further than before. This time, what do we got? Talking about people, a lot of Hikaru stuff, touching the plot, the highly anticipated scene (if you don't know what this is, you haven't been talking amongst yourselves), some separation, and some pulling together. Lots of unhappy and happy stuff. I expect this to be somewhat difficult for me, but we can do it! Oh yeah! Let's get to it!

~*~

"MINATO!!!" That afternoon, Yukina came running up to her would-be sister-in-law, amused and excited by her new finding. Minato turned and found Yukina breathing heavily behind her. "What happened, Yukina?"

Yukina grinned at her. "You never told me that Ariko-chan likes me!" Minato smiled. "I thought you would have figured it out. I mean, it IS obvious." Yukina sat down on a nearby bench in the hall they stood in. "Yeah, now that I think of it, it really was. But, Minato, do you think I should do something about it?"

Minato sat down beside her and shrugged. "I don't know. Do you like him, too?" Yukina looked at the metallic floor. "I don't know. I know he's my best friend on here… Because I just can't connect with Ruri, and Omoikane is kinda annoying. And I now officially KNOW he was avoiding me! I think Uribatake-san has helped keep him busy so he wouldn't have to talk to me."

Minato smiled, but it was sad. "You know, Yukina, when we get to Earth again, everyone's going to split up. Ariko, Ruri, and Omoikane will probably go to Peaceland, unless they can get a place to sleep with someone else. Everyone will go back to whatever they did before the war, and we'll eventually forget."

Yukina nodded, her mood dropping with the tone of Minato's voice. "I'll be going with you to Earth, right?" The helmswoman's jaw dropped. "Of course you are! You're part of my family now, Yukina! You'll get to meet my little brother and everything!"

Yukina smiled. "How little is little?" Minato shrugged. "He would only be about 21 around now. Not very much younger than me, but still." Yukina nodded, still smiling. "I can't wait to live on Earth, Minato. Even though some of the people there really suck, I could tell when we stayed at that restaurant that it was a nice place, not cold like the colony citadels and moon villages we lived on." Minato squeezed the teenager's shoulders. "And we'll have lots of fun there too." Yukina hugged Minato back. "You betcha!"

~*~

Itsuki crossed her ankles as she sat in Akito and Jun's seat at the table; Jun sat in hers next to Ryoko. "So, what'll we do once we get back to Earth?" Gai blew on his coffee before taking a sip. "Well, are we going to all live together, or what?"

"That sounds like a good idea," replied Izumi. Jun glanced at the blue-haired pilot. "You're just too lazy to actually look for an apartment, aren't you?" She nodded and smiled. Gai's eyebrows furrowed. "Well, we're going to have to look for an apartment anyway, maybe spreading ourselves into several of them-" Itsuki kicked him under the table. "Don't be a bitch, Jiro. We're going to stay at your house."

Rubbing the bruise and raising an eyebrow, he scoffed. "What makes you think you can make a decision like that?" She shrugged. "Why shouldn't I? That house is just as much mine as it is yours."

"Is not."

"Is too. I've been in your family ties longer than you."

"That house has my name on it, you stupid ho."

"Whoa whoa whoa," interrupted Ryoko, "What house is this?" Itsuki answered without blinking, "Yamada Manor in Kawasaki."

Hikaru, next to Gai, dropped her jaw. "Yamada 'MANOR'? Is it like a goddamn MANSION?" He smirked. "You better fucking believe it." Izumi blinked, not as vocal about her surprise as Hikaru. "Since when were you so rich?"

"Since before we were both born." Itsuki answered for him. Gai nodded. "Remember when Itsuki introduced herself to Shiratori-san, errrr, Aer rest his soul? As the CEO of Mugendai?"

"Not really. I expected something like that after Akatsuki came out of the closet to us. What, do you work under her or something?" Hikaru asked. Jun choked on his own air. "HIKARU!!!" She giggled.

Gai smiled, but shook his head. "Nope. I work on the same level. Our parents started the company, and it's ours. We just hate sitting around in huge empty offices all day. So we just let our minions take care of everything for us."

"That, and the fact that a Chulip landed on MY mansion when our parents were in it. I guess you could say we're here for revenge. Or for duty. Or just to keep us from going crazy. Whatever." Itsuki propped her hands under her chin.

Hikaru spun her Styrofoam plate absently. "The only relation left for me is Grandmother." Izumi and Ryoko winced. They knew about Hikaru's grandma. Jun's furrowed his eyebrows. "I'm guessing she isn't very nice?"

"Total bitch," answered Ryoko. Now everyone else winced. "Ouch, that has to hurt," grumbled Gai, wrapping and arm around Hikaru's shoulders. Hikaru shrugged him off. "I'm going to go to the bathroom, okay? I don't need to piss in a bush like the last time I had to go on the way to Rumiko-sensei's house." She got up, but found Izumi's cold crimson eyes on her. "Hurry your ass up. If you don't, we'll leave without you." Hikaru nodded and ran to the bathroom.

Hikaru wasn't quite surprised that, when she came out, they were gone. She was hurt, though. Her friends didn't care enough to be late for her? 'Not even Izumi waited… And she's supposed to be my best friend.' As she started towards Somenolenthe from the Nadesico, she felt the wind pick up. Knowing it was her doing, she closed her eyes, letting it calm her. It wouldn't take away the aching feeling in her stomach and heart, nor the throbbing headache, but it took her from tears. 'Oh, Aer. They left me. They left me. They don't care. Why would they care? No one gives a shit. No one but you… and the wind.'

~*~

For nearly two hours after her late arrival, the redhead was silent, watching Rumiko walk the others through their lessons. She sat, brewing over what had been going on, worried about Rumiko coming to her, not wanting to talk to anyone. 'I'm so stupid. I'm getting upset over nothing. But since we got here, no one has been treating me the same way. I'm either to good to talk to, or not worth the bother. Maybe they're jealous. Or maybe they hate me. But they're my friends! How could they hate me, Aer? What have I done?'

Rumiko made some notes in his book, then walked up to Hikaru, laying her head on his table. "Hikaru-san, get your head off of my eating surface. Now, let's start your exercises in making you more controllable-" Rumiko was cut off by a whimper from the artist before him. One of his yellow eyes twitched. "If you didn't want to work, Hikaru, you shouldn't have come. But remember that you can't always do what you want."

At the Copy's misinterpretation of her emotions, Hikaru's shoulders began to shake as she started to sob. And sob loudly. She lifted her head and covered her face with her hands, drawing her body close to itself by lifting her legs into the chair. "I'm not good enough for any of you anymore, am I? Nobody wants to be seen with me because I'm more of a freak than they are. I can never do anything right…" She sobbed harder, jerking herself to a standing position and running out the door.

Izumi jumped up and followed her out the door. "Hikaru-chan!" But as the door slammed shut behind her, she couldn't see Hikaru anywhere. She could sense her, but not see her. "Hikaru… is that what's been bothering you? You think that we hate you?" She felt Hikaru pulling at her hair, Hikaru pushing the dirt to fly. But Izumi knew that it wasn't Hikaru at all, but just her magical self, making the wind feel her helplessness.

~*~

When Hikaru reached the Nadesico, she continued to run through the halls. She passed her room that she shared with Ryoko and Izumi, Itsuki's room, Akito's room, Gai's room, Akatsuki's room, everyone else's rooms. She had no one to talk to. Uribatake had no time for someone like her. Someone stupid and ugly like her. Someone whose only talent was sneered at and frowned upon.

The redhead almost ran into several people who wouldn't care about someone like her. Many of the mechanics hated her. The bridge crew only gossiped about her. She was almost an enigma to those that didn't pay attention. The girl who was always smiling was very obviously crying now.

She did run smack into Mr. Prospector, falling to the ground. She wiped her face with a sleeve and tried to pull herself up. "I'm… I'm Sorr…"

He furrowed his purple eyebrows and helped her up. "Are you all right, Amano-san?" Hikaru's eyes welled up again at the prospect of someone giving a shit about her. She collapsed against the accountant's chest and sobbed even more uncontrollably into his yellow shirt. "They hate me, Mr. Prospector, I don't know why but they left me and they don't even care how I feel about anything… I'm just the teacher's pet girl to them now and everything doesn't matter to them…"

Surprised to find this girl spilling her heart out to him, Viktor wrapped his arms around the girl, petting her hair in sympathy as he tried to silence her. "Shhh, Amano-san. I'm sure they don't hate you. Would telling me what happened help?" She shook her head violently. "I'm so stupid, getting upset over nothing, but I can't believe that they just didn't care enough to wait five goddamn minutes for me…" He nodded. "If you want to talk, I'll listen, then. It's all right if you don't want to, though." Hikaru gripped his shoulders almost painfully, but he didn't do anything to stop her. "I don't think there's anyone for me to turn to anymore, Mr. Prospector… Uri-P is always too busy, and everyone else just hates me…"

"They don't hate you, Amano-san-"

"Hikaru." Somehow, her desire to always be on first name terms with everyone shone through her shattered soul.

"All right, then, Hikaru-san. They don't hate you. They love you. You bring happiness to their group, just like Kanchou does to the crew."

"But I never seem to be happy anymore, Mr. Prospector. I'm always worrying about their problems, I never have time for my own, it seems." Hikaru had stopped crying and had loosened her grip on him, but she still stayed leaning against his chest. "I'm starting to think that none of them understand me, nor do they care."

"But is understanding you such a big deal? They don't always have to understand you to guess what's going on. God knows no one on the ship understands you."

"Except Uri-P, but he just doesn't have the time."

"He must not understand you much if he doesn't know that you need to spend some time talking to him, or you will pop like this." This statement made Hikaru's eyes go wide and pull away from the comforting embrace. She looked over the older accountant, as if seeing him for the first time. "What made you think that?"

Viktor bit his lip. Her searching look made him feel uncomfortable, and the movement in the air must have just been his imagination. "It just doesn't seem right that the only person who you say truly understands you can't make time for you, no matter how busy they are."

Hikaru backed up a bit. Had he really been pushing her away, making his job number one? 'But of course he would make his job number one. I'm just a friend. Nothing special. Just a friend. Nothing more.' Hikaru nodded slowly. "Thank you, Mr. Prospector."

He comfortingly squeezed her arm. "Hikaru-san, please. Viktor." Hikaru nodded. "Thank you."

He smiled at her. "If you need anything else, will you come talk to me? If there isn't anyone else to talk to?" Hikaru smiled back. "Sure!" She grinned, but her attempts at a happy visage were set off by the tear tracks on her cheeks. "See ya later, Viktor!" She skipped past the accountant.

His violet eyes darkened as she watched her turn a corner. 'I never would have thought the drama on this ship was that bad. What kind of person is Uribatake-san, to ignore someone like her that way?'

~*~

Rumiko opened the door to find Inez standing there. "Oh, Lady Ai, please come in." Inez's hard expression did not change as she stepped into the dimly lit room, and sat in a dining chair. She gave no acknowledgement to Megumi, who was sleeping in the large chair near the fireplace. "I heard from Mr. Prospector and Izumi that Hikaru had an incident today?"

Rumiko stared at the floor and fiddled with the hem on his white robes. "Ye-yes, Lady Ai. She had a crying fit during lessons today, and ran off." Inez nodded. "I know that. Do you know why she did?" Rumiko shook his head. "I think it had something to do with the others, but-"

"Precisely. The others made her feel worthless and boring. Hikaru has always shown signs of stimulated depression, but this is the first time she let someone outside of her inner circle of friends know, specifically someone who would tell me." Rumiko was shocked at Inez's words. Aer's Messengers had always been characterized by their ability to hide their emotions behind a mask of happiness. But he never thought it was so strong in Hikaru. "That makes sense, though. As a strong wind mage, of course she would portray Aer's personality much more than those who don't have her talent. She was hand-picked by Her."

Inez nodded. "And because of her closeness with your other students, she wouldn't confront them about things about them that hurt her. Which is why I have come to request to place her in my class, to get her away from the others." Rumiko agreed whole-heartedly. "If that's what you think would help, Lady, then, by all means, feel free to take her."

Inez smiled, somewhat maliciously. "That's not the only reason I came in here, Rumiko-san. Surely, you've felt it. Perhaps more than I do, as you are directly connected with Him." Rumiko's pale face took a dark tone to it, as if ready to accept a death that was not coming soon. "Yes. I'm surprised that you too felt it, Lady." Inez smirked, and stood. Rumiko continued, folding his hands into his lap. "He is rising in power. After all these years, He will make an appearance among the people. I don't think He's chosen a host yet, but it will most likely be someone of extreme emotion."

"Which is another reason that Hikaru must be taken from her stress. Imagine if He took her as His host? We would be killed in a single blink of the combined power." Rumiko nodded. Lady Ai was right on track, and being away from Ninlandish religion for so long did not damage her magical instincts in the least bit.

"I will inform you of the emotional standings of my students regularly, Lady Ai. Maybe then we could possibly pinpoint who the host may be."

"Maybe. Maybe not. We're on nothing but prophecies and guesswork, Rumiko. We won't truly know who the host will be until they are beating us into the ground."

~*~

There was no Hikaru at breakfast the next day. There was someone else entirely, however. The other pilots were shocked to find Akito sitting in his place at breakfast that morning. Itsuki sat down in Hikaru's seat. "About time you fucking decide to show up, Tenkawa. We were starting to miss you."

"Wow, nice to know I'm loved. But where the fuck is Hikaru?"

"She was already out of the room when I woke up. So no one seems to know," answered Ryoko, sitting in her own seat despite the fact that it was right across from Itsuki. Akito shrugged. "Well, Miss How Mei is sick, and Sayuri can't make eggs right, so don't plan on eating eggs."

"Nice random info, there, Akito," grumbled Jun, obviously lacking sleep. Izumi raised her eyebrows. "How is she making them wrong?" Akito sighed. "Her eggs are always runny…"

Itsuki chose that moment to choke on her own air. Gai just rubbed his temples. "Don't say it Itsuki. Please. I beg of you." This caught Ryoko's attention. Things that related to the others' pasts were amusing to her. "Say what, Itsuki?"

Itsuki cleared her throat. "Have I ever told you the reason I became a lesbian? I mean, other than the fact that Jiro is stupid." Various negative responses stimulated her to explain. "Well, let's just say I have it on a very good source that semen tastes like runny eggs."

"I didn't need to know that!" cried both Akito and Jun. Jun covered his ears and started humming, while Akito just hid his face from view. "Itsuki, did you HAVE to say that? Just when I had proclaimed myself officially bi, I had to hear that. Thank you." Itsuki smiled.

Izumi was not shocked, for she was Hikaru's best friend, and Hikaru's extensive knowledge of sex disturbed Izumi sometimes. "Who's your very good source? Just curious."

"DON'T YOU FUCKING SAY IT, ITSUKI!" screamed Gai, hiding his own face from people. They couldn't help but notice how red the dark featured pilot was blushing. Itsuki just smirked. "Let's just say we were crazy kids with extensive hormones. And quite experimental."

Ryoko started to cough. "I am never fucking kissing you AGAIN, Itsuki." Itsuki glared at her. "It's not like you are now, anyway. Besides, we were twelve. Jesus."

"Somehow, I don't remember me giving oral sex when I was twelve," commented Jun. Ryoko smirked. "That's because you were drugged. When I was twelve, I didn't know what the fuck oral sex was."

"THERE WAS NO ORAL SEX!" Gai was practically dying in his seat from embarrassment. Itsuki nodded. "Nope. It's called masturbating into a cup and switching cups because we wanted to know what it tasted like."

Various disgusted responses rang around the table. No one else ate. Akito shuddered. "Fuck… When I was twelve, I was still the stupid little nerd bitch that got the shit beat out of him."

"Fuck, when you're twenty, you're still the stupid little nerd bitch that gets the shit beat out of him." Akito glared at Ryoko. "Bastard."

"You better believe it." Akito smirked, then turned to Gai, who was still practically writhing on the ground in embarrassment. "So, other than this whole High School Sequel thing going on, anything new?" Gai full-blown ignored him.

"Um, excuse me? I AM addressing the living, yes?" No response. Gai seemed to be staring off into space. The other pilots got up and left, waving goodbye to the two of them, very obviously leaving them alone. Akito just smiled and waved goodbye back. Gai continued to keep his view out of focus.

Akito crossed his arms and sighed. There just was no dealing with this guy. He got up and sat in Itsuki's normal seat, which had been occupied by Jun's butt just a few moments ago. He sat on his feet so Gai's vision was now blocked by the Martian's face.

It took Gai a minute to realize that he had been staring at the face of his former boyfriend. He narrowed his dark eyes and growled under his breath, "What the hell do you want?"

Akito shrugged. "Just wanted to know what you were thinking about so intently." Gai looked away, supporting his head in a hand. "What business is it of yours?"

"None, really. But I'm making it my business. Spill."

"Fuck you, Akito."

Akito rolled his eyes. "Oh, real mature, Gai. You're really showing that you're the youngest. Is it so hard for you to just talk to me? I'm mean, Jes- uh, I mean, Aqua… your letter proved that-"

"Does everything have to come back to that stupid note?" Gai now glared at him again, as if facing his fears for this first time in quite a long time.

"Yes."

"Why?" This question was near silent. Akito had to strain to make sure he knew what he heard.

"Why, you ask? Because." The cook pulled the note out of his pocket and laid it on the table. "I read this jolly little piece of paper, then kissed you again. What do I get in response? 'I'm no fucking rebound.' What do I hear from everyone else since then? 'It's only a rebound, isn't it?' Well, I'm reinforcing the fact, Gai. It is not a goddamn rebound."

Gai's confusion made him angry. "Well, if that's not it, what is it then, Tenkawa? What else could it be? You're as fickle as Itsuki, only with a lot more dating options. Only, the second Yurika decides to dump you, you come running back. What am I supposed to think, huh? How can you tell me that's it's not a fucking rebound you're trying to get here?"

"I can tell you that, because it isn't."

"Then what the fuck is it? Hurry up because you're wasting both of our time."

Akito frowned as he felt hot anger build up in his chest and cold tears fill his eyes. The effect of both comforting and hurting pain disturbed him. "I FUCKING LOVE YOU, GAI! Is that good enough for you?! You'd only wanted me to say for the longest goddamn time! Well, here I am! I fucking love you, goddammit. Are you happy now?" Akito's over-reactive nose started to run, as usual. He sat back down in Itsuki's seat and sniffed, wrapping his arms around his somewhat thin frame. "There, I said it… Are you happy now? Because I thought I would be… Happy, I mean… But…"

"You're not, because I'm an ass." Akito shook his head. "No, because I fucked up big time. I fucked it all up, and it's all my fault."

"Oh no, you ain't gonna pull the pity party shit on me today, 'Kito. Nuh-uh. I can live without it, and you certainly can too." Gai sighed. "No, I've just been a big ass lately. Blame it on PMS and be done with it. And I really should have told you about-"

"No, I overreacted. I'm sorry. Very sorry. Really." Gai's head fell to the table. "Okay, so we both feel bad and forgive each other. Are we friends, or do I have to pretend to hate your guts some more, or what?"

Akito bit his lip, for the first time during their conversation looking unconfident. "I suppose it's up to you… After all, I kind of approached you-"

"Hell, if we go on that, we're SERIOUSLY fucked." Gai dug out a quarter, surprised that he actually had one in this godforsaken place called Ninlan. But of course this was his lucky quarter… "Hey, I'll flip my lucky quarter on this, okay? How about, heads, we try again on the whole together-ness thing, and tails, we just become friends again."

"As long as I get to move out of my new room, it's fine. It gets hot in there." Gai rolled his eyes. "You get some benefit other than me, right?"

"You better believe it."

"Don't worry, I do. Any bets?"

"Just flip the damn thing, asshole."

Gai smiled, that devilish smile that scared the fuck out of Akito when it was on Itsuki's face, but looked DAMN sexy on Gai. "Fair enough." Without much thought, he flipped the coin, caught it in midair, and flipped it onto his arm.

"What is it what is it what is it?" Akito stood on the chair to see better, but Gai covered it with his hand.

"Hold your horses there, buddy. Jeez, don't make me flip it over." Akito's jaw dropped. "You mean-"

"Yep. Heads." Gai's tan hand moved away and showed the face side, lo and behold. Akito almost fell off the chair in delight. "YES! Oh my god, that is now my lucky quarter too!" Akito fell on the table and hugged Gai's waist, which is all he could reach with all of his body draped on the table. "I love you, I love you, I love you, I love-"

"Shit, 'Kito, let go. I'm gonna fall on you and squish you." Akito giggled and got up. Gai fumbled with the quarter for a second before it fell on the table. Akito grasped it up and looked at it. Heads again. "LUH-UCKY heads!" He kissed the head side in thanks, extremely hyper now that everything between him and Gai had been fixed. Akito couldn't help but look though. He flipped the coin over and his jaw dropped again. Then he started beating the crap out of Gai's arm. "You bastard! A two-headed coin?"

Gai didn't even try to dodge the punches. "Let's just say I wanted it again, just as much as you did. Now let's go to Rumiko-sensei's before he gets any more pissed at us being late."

~*~

When Akito and Gai arrived at their magic teacher's house, they were greeted with a glare from him. "Where were you?" asked Rumiko.

"They were kissing and making up, Rumiko-san. I told you that already," answered Itsuki for them. Gai smiled slyly at her, but something bothered him. "How did you know?"

"Akito staged the whole damn thing. When he asked you what was new, that was our cue to leave," explained Ryoko. Gai smacked Akito in the back of the head. "You stupid bastard!"

"Ahem. If you're all done chit-chatting, we'll get started on the lesson today, now that everyone is here," grumble Rumiko, disgruntled with the lack of dedication from his students.

Izumi's eyebrows snapped together. "Rumiko-san, Hikaru's not here yet. Aren't we waiting for her?" Rumiko sighed in response. "I'm sorry, Izumi-san, but Hikaru won't be in our class any longer."

"Eh???" cried his students, shocked that Hikaru wouldn't be coming any more. Rumiko nodded. "She has problems to deal with, mostly about her feelings toward you all. Her extreme emotion is dangerous for a mage as strong as she, therefore she has been put under therapeutic surveillance and is now in Lady Ai's class."

The other still seemed upset, but Izumi just sighed. "Maybe this is best for her. If she has problems to work out, then she has problems to work out. We can't do anything to help her if she doesn't want us to help."

Ryoko looked at the floor. "Why wouldn't she come to us, then? If we couldn't help, we could at least listen." Izumi shook her head. "No. She has many close friends, but she can only connect with a number of them. A small number. I used to think I was among that number… but now I'm not so sure."

~*~

Hikaru sat in Inez's lab, completely silent, which was strange for the seemingly-hyper girl. But the others in Inez's class had been told that Hikaru was transferred in because of her depression, so they weren't quite so surprised.

But it wasn't because she was sad that Hikaru was quiet. She was usually loud and obnoxious because she was always around those that loved her. But these other people, she just wasn't close to them at all. She just hated Akatsuki, plain and simple. He was an asshole, and he just didn't connect with her in anyway. She knew that was a really bad reason to hate someone, but she just couldn't help it.

The other three, Ruri, Yukina, and Yurika, Hikaru just wasn't comfortable with. Sure, she had called Yurika a bitch or a whore in the past, but that was just an anger thing. She knew her mouth was enough to get her shot, but she never tried to fix it. Ruri and Yukina, Hikaru just didn't know well. She didn't look down on them for being younger; hell, they were Nadesico crew too. But they were just part of another club.

Inez came out of one of the side rooms of her lab and smiled at seeing her class, including the new addition, there, all of them. "I'm sure some of you are wondering why Amano-san is joining us. Well, because of her fragile emotional state, we moved her into this class, away from those whose worries plague her." Her statement dropped; it seemed that no one was really paying attention. One of Inez's blonde eyebrows twitched; this is not what she wanted from her class.

Despite her regular students attitude, Hikaru was listening intently. Inez suddenly got an idea to get the others' attention. While she was full aware of Hikaru's capabilities, the others were not. Inez gathered a handful of flour from a jar and placed it in front of Hikaru. Two handfuls. Three handfuls. Hikaru smiled slowly. "Strength test?"

"Not necessarily. I know how well you work as it is. I'm making an example of you." Inez turned to the others. "Hikaru is nearly done with her training. She's merely in these classes to amuse herself now. She's gone through training faster than I have ever seen, mostly because of her dedication, but also because of her sheer talent. Now, Hikaru, if you will."

Hikaru calmly made three somewhat small tornados in the flour, playing around and making sure to not make a mess. Inez sighed. "Rumiko-san has a stick up his ass if he preached to you about control. Control is for when you need precision. Just show off, Hikaru. My other students need to know what kind of competition they have to work with now."

Hikaru grinned, happy to let go and just let her magic flow. The familiar feeling of her bright yellow power surged through her hands, a texture of happiness, coarse sadness, fine printed smiles. She closed her eyes, opening her hands to let the wind blow from them, as if she was a high-powered fan. She opened them again and smiled to see a large whirlwind in the center of the room, scattering papers and flour everywhere, and blowing everyone's hair and clothes every which way. She gave the spiral no more power, but just let it run its course until it slowly died.

Inez smirked at the shock faces of her other students, hiding her surprise. She knew Hikaru was good, but not quite THAT good. "And THAT, kids, is why she's almost done. I don't believe any of you are that far along, are you?" There was fidgeting all around, not to mention glares in Hikaru's direction. Inez continued. "Hikaru is the strongest mage of any kind that I've seen since Juveus-sama." Akatsuki's black eyebrows snapped together as he ran a hand through his hair. "Juveus-sama? Care to explain, Doctor?"

Inez bit her lip. "Empress Juveus was the ruler of the Martian Empire of the past. She was also a very strong fire mage, and the First Priestess of Flamma at the time. She took me in when I Jumped from Utopia Colony in 2195 to Mount Olympus in 4196 BC. But that's a story for another time. Let's get started shall we?"

~*~

Omoikane didn't bother to knock on the laboratory door when magic lessons were over. He never did. He always checked the security cameras, to make sure Inez wasn't doing something that required silence or privacy. And to make sure that Ruri hadn't gone to bed already. But Inez was just typing away on her laptop, and Ruri was napping on a cot. Everyone else had already left, but Ruri often had to take a nap before Omoikane came to walk her to bed.

He walked right in and started to walk over and shake Ruri awake, but he was stopped by a few choice words from Inez. "She spent a lot of her energy proving herself today. Let her sleep here for a while, I'll take her to bed when she gets up."

Omoikane pouted a bit. "I can take her back without tiring her more, Miss Fressange. Trust me." With that, he connected himself immediately to the Y-Unit's PT Engines, gathering up some of the dormant energy that just lay there. He grasped Ruri's hand and awaken the nanomachines in her blood, feeding them the energy he gathered from the Nadesico's own power source.

Ruri's amber eyes opened quickly and she sat up. "Oh, Omoikane. All right, let's go to my room now." She got up quickly and left the room, almost leaving Omoikane behind. Her silver eyebrows narrowed as she near power walked to the dorm hallways. She stopped and let Omoikane catch up with her. "Omoikane, why am I so energized?"

Omoikane cocked his head. "I wanted to walk you to bed, so I wired some energy from the PT Engines in the Y-Unit to you so you could get up and go to bed in your own room."

Ruri's amber eyes darkened to light brown. "I thought the PT Engines were no longer functioning." Omoikane shook his head. "The Engines were never dead, or broken, Ruri-sama. They're just sleeping."

Ruri continued to walk, but much slower so Omoikane could keep up. "Sleeping? Why?"

"I don't know. They said a mean man told them to go to sleep and not wake up until the blanket was pulled off."

"A mean man…" Omoikane opened Ruri's door for her and pulled the energy from her, sending it back to the Engines to be recycled. Ruri yawned immediately, she was much more tired than she thought. Ruri changed her clothes and climbed into bed, half-asleep already as her head touched the pillow. "Thank you for helping me, Omoikane. And Thank you for telling me… about the… PT…" She was sound asleep, mid-sentence.

It didn't matter that Ruri wasn't able to finish her sentence. At least it didn't matter to Omoikane. Full of pride, he headed for the bridge, ready to face yet another night of practicing Fighting Kanji.

~*~

Viktor was sitting at his desk when Uribatake arrived into his office. He put everything to the side just so he could speak to the mechanic on a subject they were both somewhat knowledgeable. "Please, sit down Uribatake-san." Looking a bit uncomfortable, Uribatake sat down as suggested. Viktor couldn't help but smirk. 'He should feel uncomfortable. I'm not heartless like the other Nergal executives, but I certainly can be cruel.' "Tell me, Uribatake-san, what have you been working on?"

Uribatake rolled his eyes. "Look, Prospector, we're in the middle of fucking nowhere. I'm not going to be spending any money anywhere to get more materials. It's just not physically possible. If you called me here to talk about my accounts discrepancies, wait til we get to Earth, if you don't mind."

Viktor pushed his glasses up. "That clearly is not the case, Uribatake-san. What have you been working on that has kept Hikaru-san from speaking with you?" Uribatake narrowed his eyes. "Hikaru could always talk to me, whenever she wants."

"Do you ever actually talk to her? Or does she have to come talk to you first?" Getting defensive, Uribatake crossed his arms to make him look more imposing, in a way. "What is this about, Prospector?"

"I don't believe you are aware of this, Uribatake-san, but as one of her good friends, I am shocked that you don't. Hikaru-san is going through a very bad point in her life right now. She's very depressed, feeling worthless and like a bother. Her friends haven't been caring for her very well, and every time she tries to talk to YOU, you're too busy for her."

"I'm never too busy for her!"

"Fine then, she's feels that you're too busy, and thinks you don't have to deal with her problems. Which brings her people to talk to on this subject down to zero."

"What business is it of yours?"

"She came to me because she had nowhere else to go."

"But why couldn't she just talk to her friends?"

Viktor leaned over his desk a bit and lowered his voice. "Uribatake-san, my question is, Why couldn't she talk to you?"

Uribatake bit his lip, realizing that the accountant before him was right; he kind of had been ignoring Hikaru. But they were both busy, weren't they? "I'll let myself out, Prospector."

Viktor nodded, not moving from his position. Sure, it seemed that he was harsh, but Uribatake had done Hikaru wrong. Something happened that made her not able to talk to him. And Hikaru seemed like the kind of girl to talk to her problems with those she cared about very easily, no matter what.

'Of course, I could be wrong, but why would she have told me everything and Uribatake-san nothing? It's common knowledge that they both having crushes on each other. So he must have done something to deter her from approaching him about her issues.'

~*~

TBC…

~*~

A/N: OOOOOOOOOOHMAGAWD!!!! That took SO fucking long I don't even want to talk about it. Two whole weeks? Shit, man. Anyway, I think I made it very clear who my favorite character is, haven't I? ^^ Well, I love Hikaru-chan, so I just HAVE to angst it up some! Besides, we're starting to attack the plot, and Hikaru's actually a somewhat main character this time. So there. Nya. Okay, I also did something else. The ONE scene people have been wanting since Chapter 14 of To Die or Not to Die. I was very scared for my mental health during that scene, you know. And physical, because I knew if I screwed it up, I'd have like five people trying to rip my head off. Anyway, NO. THE MAN OMOIKANE WAS TALKING ABOUT WAS NOT MAGUS. That's another plot-toucher, but one that will not end soon. Relates to the second crash of the Nadesico, ne? And why Mr. Prospector? I don't know. I just really like him. Power to the nerds! Anyway, that was chapter twelve. Next time… Another couple hits it off, more Prospector stuff, plot-touching mechanical stuff, and the other pilots feel stupid for not loving Hikaru as much as they do. Yeah. I wouldn't expect it for a while, though. My wrist is in pain from writing this chapter! Alrighty, til next time, R/R as usual! Bye~! 


	13. Piecing it together

A/N: YARGH! Writer's block up the ass. Anyway, let's get on with the notes, summary of last chapter, non-spoiling summary of this chapter, and remarks on past reviews. ^^ Okay, in case you haven't noticed, the plot is not only being touched recently. It's being groped. Serious feeling up. Which leads to- you guessed it- the raping of the plot. We will be groping the plot here, and if things go better than planned, the plot will be DEFINITELY there next chapter. Consider this the last chapter of pointless characterization. Okay, recap. Last chapter, there was lots of talk about "when we get back to Earth" and lots of Hikaru whining and bitching. Well, here there will be more Hikaru shmuff, but that's because she's easiest to write for. Then I swear, there won't be that much complaining from her in a while. I swear. But there will be MUCH more other stuff this time. Like Izumi and Inez stuff. Plot stuff. Other stuff. Yeah. And notes on reviews… for some reason it's getting difficult to write for Akito and Gai, so I wouldn't expect much until we are deep into plot-land. Yeah. Oh, and the song Itsuki sings? It's not really a song. "Far Apart" is a poem by me, so no stealing! Anyway. Yeah. So, let's start the chapter now, shall we?

~*~

Inez winced as she heard the door to her laboratory open and close. She had a very good idea who it was, especially since Hikaru obviously went to bed. Someone who had a good idea of what was going on, but would still be angry. "Hello, Izumi," called she, not even looking to see if she was right.

Izumi glared into the dimly lit, cold room. "Inez, why didn't you tell me you moved Hikaru-chan into your class?"

"Because I knew you'd be upset, like you are now." Izumi frowned deeply, but did not venture into the room further. "Why did you move her? What does her getting upset concern you?"

"It concerns us all, and not for some campfire sing-a-long reason. Sit down, if you would, Izumi. This is a somewhat long story." Izumi complied, prepared to hear the worst and the most frank from the blonde doctor.

"Simply put, Hikaru is dangerous in an extreme emotional state like she is. And not just because things could start flying around, either. Are you aware that someone who wants most of us very dead is rising in power?"

"Magus?" It was a stab in the dark, but Izumi kind of figured that's who it was. Inez nodded. "Magus's power is rising to levels not seen since the sealing of the Elementals, according to Rumiko-san. However, He cannot affect the world at this time without choosing someone to be His host. The Gods are only able to possess those of Their own kind, but Magus, as the God of Spirit, is the exception. He can possess anyone at will. And He can see those in deep emotional turmoil easier than those who are not. And since Hikaru is the strongest of you…"

"The results of Him possessing her are devastating. So you moved her away from us so she could calm down, and not be so easy for Him to find. That all seems to make sense. But why doesn't anyone else know? Why are you telling me?"

Inez smiled at the blue-haired pilot's question. "Well, I believe you could handle the information better than most. You're much more emotionally stable than you were before, to the extent that you're much more calm about things and not so easily excitable as many people on the ship."

Izumi bit her lip, trying to suppress the faint blush she felt creep over her pale cheeks. "What makes you think that? I've been an emotional mess since Rinji died. Hell, I became obsessed with puns for the same reason! What makes you think I'm emotionally stable?"

"You no longer make puns, do you, Izumi? You're much more confident in facing the world head on since that little game of mahjong. Perhaps focusing on the present and not lamenting about the past has helped you?" Inez's eyes dropped to the floor. "I respect that, Izumi."

Inez sat a chair across the laboratory table from Izumi. She threaded her fingers together and supported her head on them. "Not only are you emotionally stable, but you are intelligent. Hikaru and Ryoko aren't the only ones to see it. You carry yourself in a way that makes others believe you hide some talent from them, but who would think it was your mere brilliance." Izumi felt her cheeks grow hotter as Inez half-lidded her gray-blue eyes at her. "It's not often that I find someone that I can have a conversation with without having to explain everything that comes out of my mouth. Simply put, the world is full of people that don't seem to appreciate intelligence anymore, and those lucky few who possess it, are cast aside. I, however, treasure it. In myself and in others." Izumi didn't even notice how narrow the table was until Inez was leaning over it slightly, and her face was close to her own.

Inez smiled, almost invitingly at the younger woman, pushing her navy blue bangs aside, allowing her to see the hidden half of Izumi's face. "Not to mention that you are quite maturely beautiful, for only being twenty. It is said the perfect woman has beauty, brains, and brawn. You certainly have the first, you have proven to me your brains, and your sniper skills in battle prove your brawn. Needless to say, I haven't found one like you in quite some time, Izumi." It was with that that Inez caught Izumi's pale lips against her painted ones in a fierce, but gentle kiss that made Izumi's crimson eyes roll back into her head. Inez had done most of the talking, but Izumi began to think it was about time. 'All that chasing from me, and she finally initiates it.'

Inez pulled away and smiled at the pilot. "Maki Izumi, I would be honored if you would accept to becoming my lover." Izumi smiled back. "I'm honored for you to ask. And of course, I accept, Maboroshi Ai."

~*~

Hikaru was nearly mortified when she opened the door to the Three Angel's room the next morning, after Izumi and Ryoko had already left, to see Viktor standing there. After all, with nothing to do, she just started working on a new fanfic, and did some drawing for her manga. She didn't see any reason to change into her uniform until about lunch. She didn't need to eat breakfast anyway.

She smiled at the accountant, pleased that he would come visit her in the first place. "Hey, Viktor, what's up?"

A slight blush flared into Viktor's cheeks and he coughed a little to regain his composure. "Perhaps this is a bad time, Hikaru-san." Hikaru followed his gaze to her nightshirt. It wasn't revealing or anything, in fact it was almost too big for her, reaching her knees and with long sleeves, but the fact that she was still in her pajamas made her eyes widen.

"Aw, shit. Totally forgot I wasn't dressed. Come in, Viktor. I'll just… run into the bathroom real fast and get dressed." And run she did. Grabbing her red uniform, she bolted into the bathroom and closed the door. She called through it though, stripping out of her nightshirt. "Is there something you wanted to talk about Viktor, or did you just feel like talking to me, or what?"

Viktor sat in the director-style chair in one corner of the room. "I just figured you'd want to know… I told Uribatake-san what was wrong with you." A half-dressed Hikaru flung the bathroom door open, with nothing but a bra on for her top at the moment. "You did WHAT?"

Viktor's violet eyes widened and he couldn't help but notice Hikaru's anatomy. The flushing of the man's face made Hikaru roll her brown eyes as she pulled up the rest of her uniform, zipping up the top. "Men. I swear. Anyway, what the fuck is the matter with you!? You told him? What made you believe that I wanted that?"

"It wasn't so much that you wanted it as much as it needed to be done." Viktor moved his gaze to the floor, feeling shame for trying to help the redhead, who obviously had some problems to work out, and obviously by her.

"I didn't want him to know, shit. I was going to tell him, eventually, when it came up, and particularly when I was ready! Viktor, you obviously don't understand me if you believed I wanted you to do that."

"Well, how am I supposed to know when you're ready for anything?"

"When I do it my damn self, duh! Things like this take time!" Viktor couldn't help but notice the sudden movement of air. His mouth opened in surprise. "Is that you?"

"Is what- Oh. Fuck. Sorry. Control slipping, you know." The movement suddenly stopped. "Couldn't help but focus on something else at the moment. I'm calm now. Really. Sorry for blowing up at you, but that was a pretty shitty thing of you to do."

Viktor sighed. "I apologize, Hikaru. I was only doing what I conceived to be the best action. If he is as close to you as you state, I figured you would want him to know, particularly if you were going to talk to him, but couldn't find time to."

"Now that I think of it, Viktor, it seems it was more of a 'can't bring myself to do it' thing than a 'can't find time to do it' thing. Kind of like lying to myself. And I'm definitely good at lying to myself."

"Why would you do something like that?" Viktor didn't think Hikaru was the kind of girl who would be nothing but true to herself. He kept finding reasons to compare her with the captain.

"Oh, it makes it easier to talk to some people. And then I wouldn't have to face my own demons twenty-four-seven, you know? Just for extended amounts of time, and then nothing. I'm just going through a depressed period. I have those. Because I ignore myself most of the time, my self-hatred times get longer and more intense. But that's just me. I'm sure you do things differently, or you actually put your anger and sadness to good use. Especially as a Nergal official and all. Well, I'm trying to be productive. I'm starting a sequel to 'Under the Branches' and really getting serious about my own manga now." Hikaru bit her lip. "I'm rambling again, aren't I?"

Viktor was so set into listen-mode that it took him a minute to realize she wanted an answer. "Sort of. But that's just you getting it out, isn't it?" Hikaru grinned. "Give the man a prize, he finally understands something about me."

~*~

"Would Uribatake Seiya, Notsumote Ariko, Hoshino Ruri, and Sarutahiko Omoikane report to the Guest Lounge immediately? Kanchou has called a meeting." Yurika heard Yukina's announcement in the Guest Lounge, sitting there with Rumiko, Akatsuki, and Inez.

Within the next ten minutes, all those called in had arrived. "Well? What's the emergency?" asked Uribatake. Rumiko frowned. "Misumaru-san, shouldn't you have called Hikaru-san in here as well? After all… If…"

"I'll get her," volunteered Inez, Jumping in a green flash. Uribatake shuddered. "I still can't get used to that. Gives me the willies." Akatsuki and Yurika rolled their eyes. Ruri couldn't help but notice how very alike the captain and the bastard were becoming. 'Pets begin to resemble their owners? …' The mere thought made her gaze jump to Omoikane, dutifully sitting beside his Ruri-sama. 'God help him the day he begins to call people idiots.'

Inez was prompt, Jumping back into the room holding Hikaru's hand in a flash of green and yellow. "What did you need me for again?" asked the unstable wind mage. "If we're correct, then there is some kind of magical reason for the PT Engines breaking down," answered Rumiko.

"Whoa, hold on to your shorts for one minute here. Is this just because we can't find a reason for the PT Engines to suddenly die when we tried to lift off? What makes you think that's the case?" demanded Uribatake, enraged by the thought of something like magic tampering with the workings of his babies.

"It makes sense, Otousan. Ninlan is very much like Earth, more than Mars will ever be. The only difference between the two is that Ninlan is a very magic-ridden planet," deduced Omoikane.

"However, according to Miss Fressange and Rumiko-san's lessons, Earth is a magic-ridden planet as well. It's just that the religion is no longer practiced there, so people that have it don't believe that strange things going on among them have anything to them. For this reason, I'm ordering you all to take Rumiko-san through the Y-Unit and Distortion Field Generators, to see if he might know something," Yurika declared.

Hikaru tapped her metallic shoe on the metallic floor, for once not musing about the cool sound. "I'll ask again. What do I have to do with this?" Inez's gray blue eyes flicked to Hikaru. "You're much stronger than Rumiko-san, magically. If the PT Engines have been tampered with, you might be able to sense the signatures before him."

"Ruri and Omoikane will be checking the system connections with the Engines, to make sure they haven't been tampered with, electronically. Uribatake and Ariko will explain the workings of the Engines and the Distortion Field Generator and what has been done to fix them and to diagnose the problem to Rumiko-san," concluded Akatsuki, smirking as he got the final word in about their new mission.

Ariko sighed. More things to do. At least then he wouldn't have to face Yukina. As they left, he hung back with his sister and her robot until they reached the Y-Unit.

~*~

Uribatake sighed and looked at his watch. They had been standing at PT Engine #2 for twenty minutes now. Ruri and Omoikane were obviously done. Ariko had gotten a deck of cards out and they were playing a card game Hikaru had taught them called Idiot. The girl in question was now sitting on the floor, acting very bored indeed. Rumiko, the all-knowing bitch, was still examining the Engine.

The Head Mechanic sat down beside the wind mage. "I'm guessing there isn't anything here?" Hikaru shook her head, yawning. "I've checked, like, fifty times. I don't know what the hell Rumiko-san is doing, but it sure is taking a hell of a long time."

"Tell me about it. What does he need to know? It's a goddamn PT Engine. Sure, we've been taking damn good care of it. Is that what's so strange?"

"He lives in a place where running water is a luxury and electricity doesn't exist as anything more than a variety of forbidden magic, Uri-P."

Hikaru's nickname for him made him remember the discussion he had with a certain Prospector the night before. He smirked sarcastically. "So, you're actually willing to still call me that?"

Hikaru's red eyebrows snapped together. "What made you think I wouldn't?" Uribatake stretched his legs out in front of him. "Somebody who talk to me last night." Hikaru sighed. "Viktor's such a stupid bitch. At least, when it comes to what I want."

Uribatake's mouth opened a little in surprise. "You know about last night?" Hikaru giggled. "Oh, yeah. I could SO say something wrong to make that just ten times worse, but I'll be nice. But yeah. I heard he bitched you out for me being an ass. It was my fault for complaining to him. Sorry about that."

"No, it kinda opened my eyes a bit. You thought I was too busy to talk to you?"

"Well, that's kinda the impression I got from Mr. Blondie. 'He's too busy to talk to a stupid, ugly fuck like you, so go make your own damn models,' or something like that."

"Little blonde bitch with blue eyes, can't listen to orders whatsoever? That would be Yumuna. He'd be out of a job if I could fire that ass." Hikaru laughed. "I didn't expect that kind of a reaction from you, Uri-P!"

"Well, you know me. Mr. Unpredictable. I just want you to know that I'll always make time to talk to you." He wrapped an arm around her shoulders and gave her a squeeze. Hikaru smiled. "That's good. I mean, you have to be my best male friend for a reason, right?"

"I'm your best male friend? But I thought that Yamada, Tenkawa, and Aoi-"

"All really good friends, but not so connective as I am with you." Uribatake blinked. "You connect with me?"

"Dumbass. Of course I do! My only best, best friends can connect with me. That's why I can only tell them my problems, and not others. I have issues like that."

Uribatake looked away. "I don't think that's so bad. That just means you don't broadcast your problems to everyone. You don't feel comfortable with people's fingers in your life."

Hikaru drew her knees up. "Yeah, probably."

~*~

Izumi pushed Hikaru through the door to the cafeteria the next morning. The redhead, being to tired to care, yawned. "What is this about, Izumi? Miss Fressange told I wasn't supposed to talk you guys…" Izumi fisted her hands on her hips. "I don't care what Inez said, you're going to spend your Aqua-damned birthday with us whether you like it or not!" Hikaru blinked a couple of times. Being on Ninlan had clouded her internal calendar, not to mention the Boson Jump that brought them there… "It's April already?"

Seated at the Pilot's designated table, Gai waved a brightly colored box at the girl. "April 6th, to be exact, Hikaru. Sit your ass down and enjoy us practically molesting you with presents." Hikaru smiled. Fun with her friends without all the drama. She quickly ran over and plopped down in her seat, for once not occupied by someone else's butt since she stopped coming to breakfast.

The first present in front of her was the one in Gai's hand. Which actually proved to be a somewhat large present. "Shit, Gai, you've got big hands!" She tore off the shiny paper without a thought, and raised an eyebrow at the cardboard box underneath. Gai patted it. "I swear, you're going to like it. Hell, after that little thing with the Jovians, we're happy to give you them." Akito, actually there and sitting next to Gai nodded furiously.

"Wow, some things have obviously been fixed since I last saw you all." Hikaru thought for a moment, then yanked the box open, figuring out what it was. "GEKIGANGER TAPES!!!" She nearly flung herself at the two men to give them hugs. "Oh, Aer, I could kiss you both right now!"

"As much as that would NOT ruin our reputation, Hikaru, I'd rather not have it confirmed that this little group is 'orgylicious'." Jun handed her a somewhat small bag. "Sorry about it. I just couldn't figure out what to get you." Hikaru yanked out all the tissue paper and smiled. "A stuffed cat and socks with cats on them? How did you know I love cats?" Jun's face lit up, surprised that she actually liked them. Hikaru grinned. "Thank you, Juny!"

"Yeah, well, we all suck, Hikaru. Damn Jiro and Akito for setting such a high bar that we can't reach." Itsuki put a rectangular gift on the table. It ended up being a really popular book, and one that Hikaru had been dying to read.

Ryoko apologized for her lack of thought in her gift as well. "Ryoko, come on now. You're giving me candy! CAH-N-DEE! Everyone else is going to hate you more than I ever would for such a thoughtful gift!" Hikaru opened the package immediately and started eating the chocolate candies.

Izumi shrugged. "I figured you would want this. There's blood in it." Hikaru unwrapped it tentatively. It was a video of an anime that came out just before they were drafted on the Nadesico. "'Kiss of the Dragons'? Didn't forget that I wanted to see that, did you?" Izumi smiled and shook her head. "No, not really."

Jun leaned his head on his hands. "You know Hikaru, we missed you a lot lately." Hikaru was surprised. She was sure they wouldn't care where she was. "Really?"

"Really. I haven't really noticed how incredibly boring Rumiko is until you weren't there, not to mention how hard it is to understand him. And it gets too fucking quiet in that damn house without you. Hands down, we want you back."

Hikaru smiled. Jun was never good at relaying his feelings, but he must have been working on it or something. "It's good to know that I'm loved, Jun-chan. Really. But I'm going to stay in Miss Fressange's class until she says I can come back." Jun nodded slowly. "I would do the same."

Akito checked his watch real fast. "Eek. Speaking of the magic tyrant, we better get going, or he will be jumping our asses. And I can only think of one person who would enjoy it." He smiled evilly at Jun. "Ne, Juny?"

"Ehhh? I don't know what you're talking about!" Nevertheless, the fire mage blushed so furiously, the thought he would burst a blood vessel. Hikaru's jaw dropped. "Don't tell me I've been missing THIS!?! Jun finally coming to terms with his inevitable bisexuality?" Jun's eyes got very big at this. "What!?! I'm not bi, Hikaru! I'm straight, dammit! STRAIGHT!"

Itsuki giggled dirtily. "Yeah, Hikaru. He wants Rumiko's dick straight up his ass." Jun covered his face. "I do NOT!!! Stop it! You're corrupting me!" Ryoko rolled her eyes and pulled Jun by the ear towards the door. "Come along, one of unknown gay tendencies. You've been corrupted for a long time now. And we are now late. Later, Hikaru." The redhead in question waved as Itsuki trailed behind, far enough from Ryoko to not be with her, but close enough to be obviously following her, followed by Akito and Gai holding hands. Hikaru smiled. It was good to see them together again.

It took her a moment to realize that Izumi was still there. In fact, she had turned to gather her new things and carry them to their room when she discovered her best friend was still there. "Oh, Izumi, don't you have to leave?" Izumi shrugged. "Rumiko won't mind if I'm a little late." She crossed her arms, and made no movement to sit down, nor to leave the room. "Jun was right, Hikaru. We all miss you. A lot." Hikaru nodded, familiar with the topic.

Izumi continued, despite Hikaru's obvious disinterest. "I suppose you never really notice how precious something is until you lose it." Hikaru gazed at her. "I didn't know you needed me so much, Izumi-chan. You're always so sure of yourself-"

"Of course I need you, Hikaru-chan. You're my best friend, for Aqua's sake." Hikaru looked away, a little embarrassed. "I… was beginning to think Miss Fressange or Jun was your best friend, Izumi…"

Izumi shook her head, not so surprised. For someone who did the unexpected, Hikaru sure was predictable. "I can connect with Jun pretty well, and Inez understands me well enough, but they aren't you, Hikaru. Neither of them were there for me when… when I was alone." Izumi took a few steps forward, making Hikaru take some steps back. This continued until Izumi had Hikaru against the wall. "Inez says you're depressed. And I can only think of a few things that revive happiness. Hiding the sadness, which you already do, and…" Izumi bent her head down and kissed Hikaru, something the redhead definitely did not expect.

Hikaru's eyes widened a bit, but shot to the door as soon as she heard it open. 'Shit!' Izumi pulled away to glance at the door to see her lover standing there, giving them a completely blank look, as if they weren't really there. "Something for you?"

Inez blinked. "No, not really. Just wondering why my lover is kissing another woman. And why I only caught the last part of it." Izumi rolled her eyes. "Hikaru, walk me to Rumiko's, will you? I believe that we have some talking to do." Hikaru fisted her hands on her hips. "You better believe we do."

It wasn't until they had left the ship that Hikaru initiated the discussion they DEFINITELY had to have. "What's this about you sleeping with Miss Fressange?"

"Please. I haven't slept with her yet."

"Emphasis on yet. When were you planning on telling me this?"

"When it came up."

Hikaru crossed her arms. "Well, it's about time, nonetheless. You've only been whining about her for months." Hikaru could feel Izumi's expression grow dark, without even looking at her. "What's wrong?"

Izumi bit her lip. "Nothing, Hikaru. Don't worry about it. You have enough on your mind." Hikaru furrowed her eyebrows and stopped walking. "I'm not going to not worry about it. Just tell me. I don't care. You're my best friend."

Izumi turned slightly. "I'm afraid… that I may have lost her already." Izumi felt her eyes begin to well up, and cursed her stupidity. Hikaru raised an eyebrow. "What, because of that little episode back there? Bah. She'll know that it was a friendly sign of affection. Our reputation as 'orgylicious', as Jun-chan called it, will get it ignored. No one will be surprised. Hell, they'll think we do it all the time. So just stop worrying, okay?"

~*~

Hikaru confronted Inez after dinner, right before their lesson, with this excuse. "So, you see, Miss Fressange, she was just trying to make me feel better. She wasn't being unfaithful or anything."

Inez nodded. "I somewhat figured that was what it was. As you are all very close, it seemed very likely. I apologize for over reacting and I will apologize to Izumi after the lesson.

Hikaru nodded, then went to her seat in the laboratory. But some thoughts still plagued her. 'Was it really all that much of a lie? I mean, we are all affectionate to each other. She really did just kiss me to make me feel better, to let me know she was there. Are we really more physical than we believed?'

~*~

Megumi watched the ripples in the wooden bowl of soup as she stirred it. Rumiko was actually a good cook, just not obsessive over it like Akito. So it wasn't as if the soup was disgusting, as it was fairly good, but it was more that Megumi wasn't hungry. She sighed and pushed her bowl away, the very thought of food making her feel sick.

Rumiko raised an eyebrow. Megumi usually ate like no tomorrow at his house. 'Usually blames it on the atmosphere and lack of fellow crew members.' "Is there something troubling you, Meg?"

Megumi took a deep breath and nodded slowly, unsure if it was the right time to bring it up, but unable to hide it any longer. "Before we got on Ninlan, I was having these weird dreams. They were always about someone that looked a lot like you saying, 'Together we stand' and never anything else. But just before we got here, I had a dream where I actually saw the face and it really did look like you!"

Rumiko was silent, even after her description. 'Dreams of a person… me, no less, saying "Together we stand…"' He whispered, "Together we stand, to end all lies," putting the message from his dream with hers. It made sense, too much sense, which was unnerving to say the least. Megumi drew her eyebrows together. She didn't hear what he said, but wasn't going to pursue it. "Is it… bad? My dream, I mean?"

Rumiko leaned back in his chair and pushed his spectacles up. "Not necessarily. In fact, at this point, it could be the final piece of the puzzle. You see, Meg, I've been having a similar dream. Only, I know it was you. Your Nadesico uniform was distinctly visible, especially before you came here. When I first met you, I was a little shocked to see you. So, in essence, we both dreamed of one another, but for a reason." He leaned forwards, interlocking his fingers and supporting his head on them. "In yours, the message was, 'Together we stand,' right? Well, in mine, the message was, 'to end all lies.'" Megumi nodded. "'Together we stand, to end all lies.'" She blinked. "What lies?" Rumiko shook his head. "Of that, I am not certain."

Megumi looked away. "How is it possible for me to have such a dream?" Rumiko shrugged. "I had the dream because I am a mage, Magus's Calm, no less. As a Messenger of Magus, no matter the classification, I am in tune with feelings and dreams in people. And it was in the prophecies for me to have the dream." He closed his amber eyes. "But for you… Well, you have many aspects of a mage. The only thing you lack is a connection to the Gods themselves. Perhaps you have the lost ability of fortune-telling?"

Megumi narrowed her blue eyes at him. "But how is it that I have magic without a nanocontroller?" Rumiko glanced at the silver symbol on his hand. "Fortune-telling is not an aspect of magic, such as healing, but more of a psychic ability, like being able to see into people's pasts."

Megumi bit her lip. "So you're saying I'm psychic?" Rumiko shrugged. "It's all very well possible."

~*~

Yukina stretched as she began undressing in Minato's room. "Minato…" Minato was about to lay down with a book, trying to find her spot. "Mmhmm?" Yukina pulled her nightgown on. "What if Oniichan doesn't like Ariko-chan?" The question made Minato look up from her book. "What makes you ask that, Yukina? Why wouldn't Tsukumo approve of Ariko-chan?"

Yukina laid down on her futon, crossing her arms behind her head. "Because Ariko is from Earth, not to mention a government official." Minato placed her bookmark back into the book; this was an important discussion she needed to have with her sister-in-law. "Yukina, I'm from Earth. Tsukumo obviously approved of me." Yukina snorted. "But you're different, Minato. He's in love with you. And for good reason, I see now. You're a good person. Smart and funny…"

Minato smiled and shook her head. "Ariko is a good person, too, you know. He wouldn't hurt a fly, except maybe try to strangle Omoikane a couple of times, or hit some of the other mechanics over the head with his clipboard, but other than that…"

Yukina sighed and rolled onto her stomach. "Ariko is part of the Earth Government! The very people we were taught to hate at a young age!" Minato rolled her eyes. "Ariko is the second heir and first prince to a NEUTRAL country, Yukina. You're getting ridiculous. Stop worrying already! Tsukumo would want you to be happy. Personally, I would like to see you and Ariko become closer. I think it would be cute."

Yukina set her mouth into a firm line. Minato had a point, but her point made her wonder about something else. "Hey, Minato… Are you ever gonna fall in love with another man?"

Minato traced the kana on the front of the book in her lap tentatively. "I might." Yukina sat up immediately. "You can't, Minato! You've already given-"

"But," interrupted the helmswoman, "he would have to accept that I have already promised to meet another man after death, and that's a promise will keep, no matter the cost. Your brother wants us to be happy, Yukina. Whatever we do. And I will meet him when the time comes. Until then, I have the right to do what I please with my life."

Yukina lay back down, pondering this. 'Oniichan wouldn't want Minato to be unhappy and lonely, but hasn't she already told him she'd marry him? I know he's gone, but doesn't she have that promise to keep? Or will he be happy with whatever she does, wanting her to move on, but to come back to him after the end?'

~*~

Akito wasn't surprised to find Ryoko and Itsuki duking it out on a fighting game after dinner. "So this is where you two have been for the past hour? Taking your anger out on video games?" Itsuki turned to glare at him. "We WERE playing ping-pong, but we went to this, because Ryoko claims that it trains better for piloting." Ryoko smirked. "She's just pissed because I'm kicking her ass."

Akito shrugged and pushed his glasses up. "Hikaru said the same thing about this game. It makes your reflexes in your hands quicker, so their reaction time is much less. Or something like that." He glanced at Itsuki and widened his eyes, trying to get his message across. 'What's this I keep hearing from the How Mei Girls about dinner after dinner?'

Itsuki smiled. 'Just another of my dastardly plans. You'll hear all about it tomorrow from the other girls.' Akito rolled his brown eyes. "Just don't do anything you'll regret."

Itsuki's smile went wicked. "I won't… much." She coughed. "You mean, dinner is over already? Oh, how time flies. Ryoko, I think we should go annoy the How Mei Girls to see if they would like to feed us, even if we are late." Akito rolled his eyes again. 'How very obvious, Itsuki.'

Ryoko shrugged as her stomach growled. "Late food is better than no food at all." With that, the two women walked in silence to the cafeteria. When Itsuki opened the door, she gestured for Ryoko to go in first. "After you, miss." Ryoko rolled her stormy blue eyes, but was shocked at the scene before her.

The lights had been turned down significantly low, and the cafeteria was much cleaner than expected after a meal with the crew. The pilots' table had a white tablecloth over it, and only two chairs remained at the usually chair-riddled table. Two white candlesticks supplied most of the light in the room. Ryoko's jaw dropped at the sight. Itsuki walked up behind her and rested her hands on her shoulders. "I know, it isn't much, but what can you do. I assure you, the dining room at Jiro's house is much more beautiful. But this is the best we can do."

Ryoko, touched by the scene, nearly forgot that she was supposed to be mad at Itsuki again. "But why?" Itsuki shrugged. "We both deserve some time to relax, away from the others. Key word is relax."

Ryoko sat down at one of the chairs; Itsuki at the other, across the table. In what seemed like seconds later, Sayuri and Eri came in from the kitchen, carrying two dishes. Itsuki received a large bowl of ramen, one of her favorite foods, no matter how simple. Ryoko received a plate of fried chicken, mashed potatoes, and biscuits. Ryoko glanced at the violet-haired pilot. "How did you know that my favorite food was chicken?" Itsuki shrugged, smiling. "There are many things I know about you, Ryoko." Ryoko was satisfied with that, but not about the situation. "All right, Itsuki, what's the real reason for this?"

Itsuki sighed, almost fearing this question. "Bottom line, Ryoko, I miss you. Terribly. Since our last argument, you haven't really talked to me. And I feel terrible because of it. You've gotten so far under my skin, it scares me." She swallowed, obviously having trouble saying this. "I love you, Ryoko. Simple as that. But, looking back on my past performances, I haven't been very good to you. I blame my arrogance. And for that, I apologize. I'm very sorry, Ryoko."

Ryoko did not expect Itsuki to apologize first. Usually, Ryoko has to. 'Maybe me always admitting my wrongs has made her think about her own.' "Itsuki, you may make me regret saying this, but I accept your apology."

Itsuki smiled, that genuine smile that was barely ever seen by anyone but Ryoko. "I'm so glad. I'm serious, you've made me very happy right now. I won't let you regret this. Really." Itsuki bit her lip, unable to stop the rising feeling in her. She started to hum a short tune, light and airy, but still deep and profound, before beginning to sing. "What is it that attracts me to you? Is it the way your hair falls just right? The way you hide behind your mirroring mask, that taunts me to see through myself…" Ryoko found herself closing her eyes, focusing on the words that escaped Itsuki's mouth. "I wonder if that's what you do, if I am that transparent. But if you did, you would seem, to know more about what to do."

Itsuki cleared her throat before continuing. "But no, what really brought me to you, was that first glance you gave. My heart melted, when you said, that very simple hello…" Ryoko had subconsciously started swaying back and forth to the soft beat, falling more and more into herself. "I know that you want me… I know that you love me… You should conceal your feelings more… But my question is, why don't you get me? Why are we still far apart?" Itsuki's eyebrows gathered. She stopped singing, even if she was only partway done. Ryoko did not open her eyes. Itsuki couldn't help but notice the tint of silver in the air-

No.

Itsuki shook Ryoko's shoulder. "Ryoko? Ryoko! Oh Go-er, Magus! I'm sorry! I'm so sorry! I didn't mean it! I didn't mean to work magic on you!" Ryoko's eyes snapped open, and she gave her a confused look. "What?"

Harumi stood in the doorway between the kitchen and the cafeteria. "Itsuki, how dare you work magic on Ryoko-san!" Itsuki shook her head, her dark brown eyes getting bigger by the second. "I didn't mean it! I swear it! Oh Magus, Magus, Magus, Ryoko, I'm so sorry! It was a big mistake!"

One side of Ryoko's mouth turned up. Here she had her once-again lover in tears over something so trivial. It was so ridiculously funny that Ryoko couldn't help smiling. "Itsuki, calm down. It's no big deal. Honestly. I didn't mind it at all. In fact, it was kind of like being pulled into a place of no worries. Completely pleasant. So just stop freaking out!"

Itsuki wiped her eyes. "I'm sorry, Ryoko… I just don't see how I could have done such a thing…" Ryoko set a hand on her shoulder, giving it a reassuring squeeze. "It's okay, really, Itsuki. It wasn't so bad. In fact, it felt really good. Kind of like you claimed me as yours by using magic on me."

Itsuki had to giggle, even with her tears. "So it was like sex? Wow." Ryoko slugged her in the shoulder. "Slut." Itsuki sniffed, making Ryoko feel bad. "Aw, stop your crying. Shit. Now you're making ME feel bad." Itsuki smiled. "I'm-" Ryoko put a hand to her mouth.

"Say and I'll so kick your ass." Ryoko could feel Itsuki's genuine smile grow wicked under her hand. Then the next thing she felt was a sharp bite on her middle finger. Ryoko yelped in surprise. "Itsuki!"

Itsuki wiped her face off with napkins, grinning. "So is everything fixed, Ryoko?" Ryoko gave her own wicked smile. "If you stop being such a bitch about my piano-playing." Itsuki giggled. "Fair enough."

~*~

Rumiko finally found the page. He almost missed it, for it was quite late, he was quite tired, and he had to work by candlelight. But, nevertheless, he found it. 'No wonder those things looked so familiar. They were created by the Martians in the war. They sent us some, but... They were hidden away, so no one would use them. Because our peace is more valuable than anything. Of course.'

He placed his bookmark string onto the page, then blew the candle out, readying himself for bed. He took a moment to look over at Megumi, still sleeping in his armchair. 'Does she even know what they're coming has started? This is a sure sign of it. Too many coincidences for it to not be.' His amber eyes gazed at the page in his book.

'The Infinity Engine. Now known to the Earthlings as the Phase Transition Engine.'

~*~

TBC…

~*~

A/N: Woo, that took much shorter than I expected. Amazering. Anyway, how was it? A lot of stuff this time. In fact, it was like a mixed basket, almost. Well, we know me. When I touch base with almost everyone, that means something big's going to happen. Which it is. All this time we've been touching the plot, feeling up the plot, etcetera… The next chapter is the start of what can only be described in comparison as "the raping of the plot". That's right, folks. After thirteen chapter, the plot decides to rear it's ugly head into the business, and we will be busy trying to juggle yet another ball. I seem to be becoming more dedicated to the completeion of this, however. I predict… maybe around March it will be done? Rough guesstimate? Anyway, you know that. R/R as always, and try to keep me this motivated! ^^ Bye~! 


	14. Preparing for the trek

A/N: Have I mentioned lately that sickness is not fun? + Well, right now I feel more up to writing than I have all week (read: I'm on medicine right now and my head actually doesn't want to go to sleep for once (for the moment at least)), therefore I shall get started. Well, I'm sorry. I promised raping of plot, but the more I think about it, it seems more like this story is mostly character development and slow moving plot. Yeah, we'll finally get away from Somenolenthe (ROAD TRIP!!!) But they'll have some traveling time until they get to where they're going, but not much traveling time. Not any actually travel in this one, next one, yes. This one was just getting kind of long, so I cut it off where the traveling is about to start, so… yeah. Yeah, I'm in the undercooked area of the outline of the story, and I'm kind of winging it here, but you'll all still be here, right? Anyway, I plan on fleshing out some people, people that I wouldn't like fleshing out, but it needs to be done. Anyway, I'll try to get this done as soon as I can, with the same quality as before, but don't sweat it if it isn't. This is pulling on my mind and I'm sick. Okay, with that all said, I would like to warn you to keep your attention up during the first part of this. There will be the explanation of the connection between Ninlan and Ancient Mars and Jupiter. And some highlights into the devastation of the two said civilizations. All right, let's get going now.

~*~

"Of course. How could I not even remember this? Such a vital piece of the puzzle has been under our noses this whole time. Amazing, the tricks our minds and the Gods play on us." Inez pushed her glasses up and scanned the page in Rumiko's book again. "Yes, it's perfect. It makes perfect sense." They were sitting in the guest lounge, mostly so Rumiko could get a first impression of the interior of the ship, instead of the Strategy Room.

Akatsuki ran a hand through his hair. "But, how could it? I mean, I understand the fact that most of Nergal technology was first invented by the Ancient Martians, but how did it get back here?"

Inez was still gushing over the find of the Ninlandish man. "It explains how I knew so much about the technology when it was discovered. How I discovered the secrets of the PT Engine at the age of sixteen. Wonderful."

"I still don't understand, how could a random engine called the 'Infinity Engine' in Rumiko's book have anything to do with the Nadesico?" cried Yurika, tired of being ignored.

Rumiko cleared his throat, ready to explain this part. "Ninlan was part of the 'alliance' between Five Empires: Mars, Jupiter, Uranus, Neptune, and Ninlan. In the year 225, Empress Juveus of Mars showed the other rulers the breakthroughs in since over the past fifty years, as Mars was the empire focused on technology and scientific study. The other empires got started manufacturing the weapons, engines and shield generators right away."

Yurika's jaw dropped. "The PT Engine, the Distortion Field Generator, the Gravity Blast Cannon, the Boson Jump Computer…" Inez smirked. "And the PT Cannon."

Rumiko nodded solemnly. "That's what you Earth-aligned folk call them. We call them the Infinity Engine, the Shield-Barrier Generator, the Supernova Cannon, the TST Calculator and the…" he trailed off, swallowing hard and curling his hands into prayer-position, "Apocalypse Cannon," he murmured quickly, as if spitting the words out.

Akatsuki rubbed his hands together, as if he just found a delicious steak dinner. "Does this mean there's a Jump Computer on Ninlan somewhere?" Inez glared at him.

"No," answered Inez, Yurika, and Rumiko in unison. Rumiko glared at the women before turning away to face Akatsuki again. "No. It's impossible to duplicate the TST Calculator." Yurika raised her eyebrows. "TST?"

Inez nodded. "It stands of Time-Space Teleportation, or what we call Boson Jumping." Rumiko rolled his eyes, as if Yurika should have known something so simple. "Anyway… They sent us all the finished products, so we could make copies of them, but Ninlan thought the Shield-Barrier Generators were much more useful than weapons, as we were a magic powerhouse, and it was our greatest weapon."

Inez nodded. "Just as there are unmanned weapon factories on Jupiter, but nowhere else. If I remember correctly, Jupiter was an industrial state, yes?" Rumiko nodded. "My Lady's memory is perfect. As Jupiter focused on the Soulless Warriors, we focused on Barriers and Barrier systems. When Magus rose to power over the corrupted elemental Gods in 240, near the end of the Martian-Jupiterian War, He announced that we would create a Barrier system so powerful, it would cover the entire planet in a shell that would not let us use the forbidden machines in our atmosphere. The forbidden machines being those that caused the War, that Mars created. No artificial mages would be made, no Teleporting would take place. Nothing."

Akatsuki sighed. "In other words, we're stuck here, because our ships runs off PT Engines, and we need to Jump back to Earth." Inez shook her head. "No, I'm sure there's a way to turn it off."

"There is," Rumiko stated, bringing relief to the others. "But only the First Priest of Magus, a person chosen by Magus Himself, can shut the system down." Yurika was rejuvenated. "Where can we find this guy? No offense, but I can't WAIT to go home!"

Rumiko bit his lip. "I'm afraid it's not that simple. The First Priest of Magus is in Carmina, the capital city, but… it's a month's walk away."

The three crewmembers of the Nadesico laughed. "A month's walk is a day and a half's walk on Aestivalis. And those certainly work, or we would have heard about it already from Uribatake!" announced Akatsuki, highly amused at Rumiko's distress at the distance.

Inez crossed her arms and leaned back into the seat. "The only thing that concerns me is how will we get everyone we need there? We can fit, maybe, three full-grown adults in one Aestivalis cockpit, INCLUDING the pilot. Not to mention we don't have enough Aestivalises to begin with!"

A communications window popped open with a beep, making Yurika jump. Akatsuki narrowed his gaze into a glare. "I thought these meetings were supposed to be confidential?"

Uribatake, in the window, gave them a thumbs-up. "Not with Omoikane at the Security controls!" Omoikane flashed on and gave them a victory sign with his hands before flashing away again. "Anyway, I assure you, we have enough Aestis! We only need, like, ten, right? Well, we sort of built two extra from our spare parts, and we already had one spare, so we have enough, exactly ten!"

Yurika smiled. "So the only problem is deciding who will stay and who will go!" Another communications window popped up, only this time showing Mr. Prospector working his computer like mad. "That problem is solved as well, Kanchou. If all our regular pilots work the Aestivalises, and Rumiko-san and yourself as well, we can take the main bridge crew, the culinary officers, and most of the support staff!" He held up his calculator, as if the numbers would make any sense to those in the Guest Lounge.

Inez twitched an eyebrow. This is not what she wanted. Sure, it was great that Rumiko found out why the Nadesico couldn't leave, but the education of the crew's mages counted on them being here. And not leaving until it was time. Being assured that they could leave now did nothing to help Inez's case on trying to get them to stay until they were done learning what she learned as a girl, with Empress Juveus as her teacher.

Rumiko's face was paler than normal. "Me? Pilot an… a giant ROBOT?" Akatsuki guffawed; the look on Rumiko's face was priceless. "I think we better inform someone that Rumiko doesn't know how to make an Aesti walk!" Inez nodded, taking this suggestion seriously. She put in two communication codes into her wristband. "Hikaru, Ryoko, could you come down here please? We need Rumiko able to work an Aestivalis as soon as possible."

Rumiko crossed his arms and looked indignant, his face getting red with anger and embarrassment. "I'm sure I can pilot it. It can't be too hard." Yurika smiled. "I'm sure you can too." Akatsuki smirked. "Easier said than done."

~*~

Ryoko rubbed her temples. It was hard enough having to teach Akito how to use an Aestivalis properly. But Rumiko was just a pain in the ass. He'd insist he had it, but he'd really just fall down and sprain something. He'd already sprained both of his wrists, his neck, and his left ankle.

Rumiko rubbed his right wrist with his other hand, knowing his pale face was flushed with embarrassment. 'Well, can't always assume that things that are easy to the students will be easy for the teacher. But why the hell can't I even walk in this thing?'

Once again, Hikaru's yellow Aesti stepped over to Rumiko's spare vermilion one. "Need help to stand?" she asked, her face appearing in a window in front of his face. Rumiko's eyebrows snapped together, and he was about retort that it was fine, he could do it himself, but he caught himself. The last time he said that, he took out about seven trees and landed on his right hand. He sighed and nodded, placing his hands back on the surfaces in front of him. "Please."

Ryoko smirked. "Heh. Seems that Rumiko-san is starting to remember that we're the professionals this time." The red and yellow robots flanked the vermilion one and lifted it up by its arms. When they were sure it was steady and balanced, they let go. The Aesti didn't move an inch. Hikaru giggled. "Wow, Rumiko-san hasn't fallen on his ass yet." Rumiko glared at her window. "Now now, Rumiko-san. Don't want your face to get stuck like that!" Rumiko sighed. "Just tell me what to do now, please?"

Ryoko sighed as well. This is where he would fall down again. "Just imagine yourself taking a step forward this time. Don't actually do it, okay?" Rumiko shut his amber eyes. 'Imagine taking a step forward. Don't actually do it.' He saw his foot, in its little silver shoe with his white stockings. He saw his white pants stopping at his ankle. He furrowed his brow. 'Lift.' The foot raised itself. He could feel his own foot rise a bit, but it was so far away that he gave it no second thought. The rest of his leg appeared in his mental image, the pristine white pants and the access from his robes. He watched the knee bend and the leg push forward, and another leg, almost identical, appeared. The legs began to walk. He opened his eyes a bit to see little twitches in his legs. He finally let himself feel them as he focused his vision on the window in front of him. The forest was going past him pretty fast- Wait.

His jaw dropped as the Aestivalis he was in continued to walk, at a pretty slow pace of an Aesti, but much faster than he had every traveled in his life.

Hikaru easily kept up with her former teacher. "Rumiko-san, you're piloting like an old person! Put the damn pedal to the metal!" Ryoko could hear the smile in her voice. However, she just let out a sigh of relief. If he could walk, that's all they needed. No more teaching from her. "Terra," she spat. 'If I can't teach a full-grown man, that I KNOW, to pilot correctly, than what will I do when we get back to Earth? I mean, sure, I was only CONSIDERING becoming a pilot-instructor, but what now?' Ryoko set her Aestivalis to start walking to catch up with Rumiko and Hikaru. After all their training, the imaging was so easy. It was to the point where they could do it without thinking; even knowing they were imagining themselves doing what the robot was.

Hikaru turned to Ryoko. "What's taking so long, slowpoke? We gotta get back by dark, so Rumiko-san doesn't take out half the forest!" Ryoko nodded. "Race you to Somenolenthe, Hikaru!"

'She may be a better pilot then me, and a better mage, but she never rubs it in my face. Hell, she lets me take the spot of best pilot! If only she could keep her jokes under control…' Ryoko growled under her breath as Hikaru slowly caught up. "Oh hell no! Idiot, I'll beat you if I have to bust up your little yellow Aesti!"

~*~

Rumiko limped into the Temple of Magus, with Hikaru and Ryoko trailing behind. Ryoko was smirking at Hikaru, even though she knew the redhead probably just let her win. Hikaru was chewing her lip, a little angry for not winning the race. Rumiko was just upset in general, but at least the two girls had waiting for him to show up on the outskirts of town.

Igadosu was surprised to see his former student there; he hadn't seen him since Rumiko had resigned. "Rumiko! Long time no see! And are these some of your students? Hello there, I'm Igadosu Toccata of Somenolenthe, and priest of this temple." The old man bowed graciously to the two women, making them feel a bit more uncomfortable than they were when they first entered. This was a place of worshipping a God that wanted them to die. The thought of being in here gave them goose bumps and shivers.

Nevertheless, Ryoko and Hikaru also bowed. Rumiko interrupted the introduction, however. "Igadosu, we need you to come with us to Carmina. We're going to try to convince old Lord Mythos Entrada to shut off the barrier system long enough to let them leave."

Igadosu's jaw dropped. "Rumiko, are you mad? Carmina is forever and day away, on foot! And what makes you think you and a bunch of rag-tag people from another planet can convince him to lower the barrier around the planet?"

Rumiko smirked. The arrogant bastard in him just entered the play. "We have Lady Ai. We'll be able to convince him. No worries there." Igadosu crossed his arms. "And how are we getting there, flying?"

Hikaru giggled. "You obviously didn't see what we used to get here, did you?" Igadosu furrowed his brow. "What, didn't you walk?" Ryoko smirked. "You better come with us, Igadosu-san. Hikaru, he's riding with you. I'll lead Rumiko back to the ship. It may take a while to get him back in the zone."

Igadosu allowed himself to be lead out of the temple by his former apprentice and his students. And couldn't believe what he saw.

Three giant mechanical beasts just sitting there and not moving. One yellow, one red, and one bit more vermilion than red. The red and yellow were much better quality, while the vermilion one seemed a bit thrown together. His jaw was practically on the ground.

Hikaru smiled at the old man. "Come on, Igadosu-san. The yellow one is mine. Yellow is such a fun color, isn't it? One of my favorites. But I chose yellow because I thought it would be pale yellow, not orange-yellow like this. Though this isn't too disgusting, don't you agree?" She continued to babble as they climbed the ladder up to the cockpit of the massive metal giant. "Usually orange-yellow looks sick, like puke. But this one looks more yellow than orange, so it just looks weird. Oh well. Jun's got the black spare. I don't like the mechanics on it, but it's black, which is a very good color indeed, right?" This time she actually paused her speech to get an answer from the old man, but swung herself into the cockpit. She reached down to help him up. "Hmm?"

"You talk a lot, don't you, Hikaru-san?" Hikaru smiled and nodded quickly, pulling him into the cockpit and closing the door. Rumiko was already walking his slow pace, Ryoko practically running circles around him because she was bored. Hikaru clapped her hands on the surfaces before her and the Aestivalis flared to life, scaring the living daylights out of the priest.

"Yeah, I talk a lot. It's part of my nature. That, and I'd rather not be bored on this trek back to the Nadesico, especially if I have to wait with Ryoko with Rumiko-san. He REALLY sucks at piloting. He's so slow. But hey, I guess even we were, when we were taking lessons. But I'm sure we caught on a lot faster than he did. Aer, it took him an hour to stand on his own without falling down and spraining something! Talk about pathetic! But I guess that's what comes from living in the dark ages with so much technology in our hands."

Igadosu was surprised at how fast they were going. A walk to the forest would normally take a half-hour or so, but they had been walking in the big robot for two minutes, tops, and they were already almost to get into the trees. "So this is how we'll get to Carmina?" Hikaru nodded. "Miss Fressange thinks it may take us a day or two. If we start bright and early tomorrow morning, we should be there by afternoon or so the next day. Our Aestis are fast, but not quite so fast when we're running on batteries. Which, I believe, Akatsuki no baka is carrying, right?" Ryoko's face appeared in front of Hikaru's face, making Igadosu jump again. "I believe so. I don't think Kanchou would trust him with anything else, even if she is sleeping with him." Hikaru shuddered. "Too many visuals."

Igadosu furrowed his brow. "What is that?" Hikaru looked over her shoulder. "What? This? Oh, it's just a communications window. Nothing to be scared of. See?" She lifted her hand from the controlling surface to put a hand through Ryoko's forehead. Ryoko looked up at the space above her black eyebrows. "How very mature, Hikaru. I'm only surprised you didn't pretend to pick my nose." Hikaru rolled her eyes. "Next time, okay, Ryoko? We need to get out." Low and behold, Hikaru's yellow Aesti was in the clearing with the Nadesico, and where seven other Aestivalises were sitting. Akito's pink one, Akatsuki's blue one, Gai's green one, Izumi's navy blue one, Itsuki's purple one, Jun's black one, and the other new one with the same crappy thrown-together look of Rumiko's, only azure blue in color.

Hikaru nodded, sighing. "I know, lots of blue and red. I would say Uri-P has a thing for those colors, but most of them we brought here." She opened the cockpit and looked behind her Aestivalis. "Aer, Rumiko's slow. Ryoko and him are only halfway here!" A communications window popped up, only Igadosu didn't jump this time. It was Ryoko. "Well, if this guy would hurry his ass up and stop taking baby steps…"

Another window showing Rumiko glaring in the direction of Ryoko's window popped up. "That was completely uncalled for, Ryoko-san!" Hikaru giggled as she threw the ladder over the side of the cockpit and started down it. "So you figured out how to use your communicator, Rumiko-san?" Rumiko looked at her and nodded. "Yes. But the codes are so complex, and there are so many of them." Hikaru shrugged as Igadosu started down the ladder as well. "You start to memorize them after a while. They're like phone numbers, either keep a list of them handy, or memorize them." Rumiko scowled indignantly. "Well, I'm sorry to burst your bubble, Hikaru-san, but we don't have telephones on this planet." Hikaru rolled her eyes. "Simple details. Now get your ass over here," she said as she stepped to the ground. "Igadosu-san is going to have issues keeping names straight, not to mention numbers." She laughed a little to herself, then closed Rumiko's window with a push of a button. "Ryoko, will you please drag his ass here a little faster?" Ryoko's window was killed next. "Before she can yell at me for acting insubordinate," explained the redhead, noticing Uribatake walking over.

"Where the hell is Rumiko?" asked the mechanic, completely disregarding Hikaru's guest. Hikaru smacked him on the arm. "He's being slow and you're being rude. Uri-P, this is Igadosu Toccata, the priest at the temple in town. Igadosu-san, this is Uribatake Seiya, the head mechanic." The two men bowed to each other briefly before Uribatake raised his eyebrows at Hikaru. "Wow, you actually know my first name? I'm impressed." Hikaru glared at him. "Stop being a bitch. Is Miss Fressange done figuring out who's sitting on whose lap when we get to Carmina?"

Uribatake shrugged. "Who knows. You could go check though. I'll just give your Aesti a look over then hang around for Ryoko and Rumiko-san." Hikaru nodded. "See you later, Uri-P!" She smiled at him before skipping up to the ship, entering through the hangar bay, but staying slow enough to point out little details in the ship the Igadosu, who was impressed.

"Amazing. When we last heard of Earth in our history books, they were condensed in little areas, mostly near water. Still barbarians, if I remember my schooling. But this proves that you've all evolved well." His light brown eyebrows knit at a glowing box in the hallway. "What is that?"

Hikaru glanced at the vending machine. "Oh, that? It's a soda machine, silly! Here, let's get some." She fumbled in her pocket box, pinned to her skirt, for her pay-card. "There it is!" She pushed it into the slot and pushed one of the buttons without thinking. "I'll buy you one too, okay? Just pick one."

Igadosu looked over the choices. There was water, which he could have anytime, so he didn't pick that. There were these other drinks, though, that looked interesting. About three of them looked like coffee, but he knew they must not be it. Besides, he hated coffee, and preferred tea. So those were out. There was another that looked a little like green urine. Ugh. That was definitely out. The two left were both bright colors, and didn't look like urine. One was orange, and the other was red. He pointed at the orange one, because it was prettier.

Hikaru smiled. " One Sunspot Orange Soda, coming right up!" She pushed the button with a little flare. The two sodas popped out, and she pulled her pay-card out of the slot. She handed him his orange can. "If you live, I'll applaud you. Now I think I hear Ryoko and Rumiko getting here," She cupped a hand to her ear as she opened her can with the other. Sure enough, even Igadosu could hear the slow steps of the incoming Aestivalises. "So, we should try to get to the guest lounge really quick."

A few more twists and turns in the ship's interior, and then Hikaru stopped at an unmarked door. "Here we are!" The door instantly opened to let the two in.

~*~

Inez seemed a lot more stressed than usual, as if this little escapade were one of the hardest things she had to do. She kept finding her hair getting in her face, though she was sure she had tied it back. Her clipboard was full of scribbled kanji and roman letters; she had gotten lazy and started to write out the names is romaji, because she knew French first, as a child, and still was faster in it. "Damnez-le. Ainsi confondant." She ripped the page out and started over, making her final draft. 

Rumiko looked up at the sound of some strange, obvious Earth language. "Lady Ai? Do you need assistance?" Inez shook her head and rubbed her temples. Switching between languages was difficult. "N-no, Rumiko-san. Everything is fine." She knew Izumi heard the English statement. And they had agreed to not speak in English unless it was something to keep from everyone else for a while. "Inez? Are you sure?" 

Inez nodded and pushed her glasses up, absorbing herself into the list. It took only ten minutes to complete, kanji and all. "All right, everyone," announced Inez, "I have the list done. I have taken into account everyone relationship with everyone else that was chosen to go, not to mention the size of these people. Yes, the rumors are true. Nagare, no one made a request to ride with you, so you're the lucky duck that has to carry all the batteries." Several crewmembers laughed as Akatsuki's face went red with embarrassment and rage. Inez smirked at the younger man. "You haven't given us a good reason to trust you, Nagare. Consider yourself lucky." 

"Yeah, yeah…" Inez glanced at her list again. "Ruri, Omoikane, and Ariko will be riding with Akito, for the size difference from the adults." Akito nodded, then friendlily smiled at Ruri, who regarded him kindly, but did not return the smile. "Admiral Fukube and Miss How Mei will ride with Yamada-san." Her finger scanned the page as she read off the assignments. "Sayuri and Eri will be riding with Kazamo-san. Mikako and Harumi will be riding with Ryoko. Uribatake-san and Mr. Prospector will ride with Hikaru. Igadosu-san and myself will be riding with Izumi. Yukina and Minato will be riding with Jun. Megumi will be riding with Rumiko-san, and Junko will ride with Kanchou." She looked over her glasses at those in the room. "Mr. Hory will stay here and keep the rest of the crew under control while we are gone. Is this agreeable?" 

Various forms of uncaring affirmatives rang around the room, and then Yurika stood to make the rest of the announcements. "Carmina is obviously some time away, so we won't get started going till tomorrow. We're going to be leaving at dawn, but taking various rest stops along the way. We should get there by tomorrow afternoon, if not sooner, going by Rumiko-san's map," she smiled at him before continuing. "So I suggest you all get a good night's sleep, especially those who will be driving! Good night everyone!" 

Ryoko caught Rumiko's gaze. "Hey newbie, take Igadosu-san back to Somenolenthe in your Aesti. You definitely need the practice if you plan on keeping up with us tomorrow." Rumiko scowled. "Fine." 

~*~ 

TBC… 

~*~ 

A/N: Wow, that was actually kind of fun. I got to play with Igadosu a bit, yes? Yes. Anyway, um, was this okay? I said before that this was undercooked land, and it is. Anyway, I got some things done that I wanted to, like Inez's uneasiness about this whole "We might be able to go back to Earth sooner than we thought!" thing. No, this wasn't just random. I had been planning on doing it this way for a while. Next chapter, hoo boy. Lots of characterization bits, mostly the ones I need to get done and the ones that were requested. (you know who you are ^^) But yeah… we're definitely nearing the raping of the plot, and the trip back from Carmina won't be as characterization-filled, but yeah. As usual, be nice and review me, kay? Or don't review me. Whatever. Just remember than they inflate my ego, and inflated ego equals less writer's block. ^^ Well, till next time, bye! 


	15. Travelling along

A/N: I know, too much technical stuff last time. BITE ME. Well, I'll make up for it with jillions of characterization in this one. ^^ No, I'm serious. This is more like a fun chapter than anything else. Only, not as extreme as Chapter 13 of "To Die or Not to Die". (The one with the card playing and such. ^^) Lots of traveling and shmuff. Yesh. No, I am not drunk. I just have a headache. Well, if we get all that I want to get done with this and still have some time left, I'll get started on the Carmina-stuff. But I doubt it. Okay, exactly WHAT kind of characterization do we see headed for us? Bonding with the kids, relationship thingers, foreshadowing-stuff, fleshing out characters that I have to flesh out NOW, and working more on relationships. But it may seem a bit more dark and angsty than normal, as people are going to be realizing an important fact that they can no longer deny nor ignore. Anyway. Well, let's get to it.

~*~

Three hours into the walk on the first day, Ruri was the first to wake up. She had been using Omoikane's legs as a pillow, especially since Omoikane had told her he'd be shutting himself down to conserve energy, running only on stand-by. She opened her golden eyes, squinting into the seemingly sudden bright light. She sat up and pushed some of her tangled tresses from her face. Combing through her silver hair with a hand, she looked up at the cockpit chair where Akito sat, and was shocked to find he was wide-awake.

He noticed her immediately, and turned his head to smile at her. "Ohayou, Ruri-chan. Did you just wake up?" Ruri nodded slowly, clamping her mouth shut to suppress a yawn. She relaxed her face again when the urge left. "Yes. What time is it?" Akito glanced at his watch. "About eight. Why? Getting hungry?" Ruri shook her head. She normally didn't eat until lunch, and barely ever ate dinner. She never got very hungry very often. "No. I won't be hungry for a few hours yet." Akito nodded. "Well, when you do, tell me. Or tell everyone else. We ARE on an open communication channel, if only just to keep us awake."

When he stopped talking, the cockpit was not as silent as one would expect. Sure, there were all sorts of mechanical noise and such, but there was a constant beeping that made Ruri's eyebrow twitch every time it sounded its annoying alarm. Omoikane also made all sorts of mechanical sounds, from the gears whirring to his own breathing. Ariko was no quiet sleeper, either. He often grunted while sleeping, murmuring to himself about wanting, not this teddy bear, but that one. Ruri didn't understand how she could sleep so well in all this noise.

Akito, in fact, was contributing to it. He was humming some little song, sometimes actually softly singing the words, and bobbing his head. But bobbing his head didn't make any noise, it sure made Ruri dizzy just watching it. Ruri didn't recognize the song, but it wasn't as if she would, anyway.

Akito glanced at the silver-haired princess to find her gazing at him observantly. Seeing her watch him made him feel self-conscious, and he automatically adjusted his glasses. "Did you want something, Ruri?" Ruri shook her head no, sat back against the wall of the cockpit, starting to tap her fingers on the floor in boredom.

Akito watched this action in awe. The girl never seemed to talk, but she also seemed desperate for something to occupy her mind, if only for the time being. 'Well, I can certainly try to think of something…' "Hey, Ruri, when was the last time we talked? Like, one on one?" Ruri blinked in response. She tried to come up with an exact date, but it wasn't working well for her. "Around December 15, I think, 2197." Akito's jaw dropped. "Shit, man! Oh, sorry," he apologized for cursing. Ruri shrugged it off. She was used to the crew's overall bad language by now. He continued, "It's just, jeez, we haven't talked in like, four months? That's pathetic." He sighed. "Well, other than what everyone knows, how's life been treating you, Ruri? Miss Fressange a good teacher? Healing any fun?"

Ruri set her mouth into a line. "Miss Fressange is a fine teacher. It's very different to be learning from an actual person, then just a hologram, like when I was younger." She glanced at the silver, almost white markings on both her hands. "Healing however… is very exhausting and taxing. I… I never wanted to be a nurse for the rest of my life." Akito frowned. This was the first complaint he had heard from the girl. But, of course, they hadn't really spoken in four months. "Well, Ruri, what do you want to do with your life?"

The question hit Ruri like a truck. For the first time in a very long time, the young genius's mind drew a blank. When she was four, she was told that she would become a computer operator for a battleship. She didn't have any plans for her future then, so it was a good idea, to her. Now, when they get back to Earth, and assuming the war was definitely over, what would she do? 'I always have a permanent home with my biological parents, but the only family member I am close to is Ariko-chan. Could I really live with all those strangers, just because they donated my building blocks for life?' She turned to Akito. "I honestly don't know, Tenkawa-san. I assume live with the Peaceland Royal Family." Akito frowned again. "You don't sound like you want to do that. Are you sure?" Ruri's yellow eyes softened to amber as she regarded the question. "No. I'm not sure, Tenkawa-san. But it doesn't seem like I have any other options."

Akito scoffed. "You'll always have other options! I'm sure someone will want to hire you, hell, they'd PAY to hire you! Or you could just go to a regular school and bore yourself stupid! And living quarters? No problem. I'm sure someone would kill to have you live with them, like Minato, Uribatake-san, or Yurika… and if they don't, let me tell you right now that I'll never say no, Ruri!" He lifted his hand for a second to pat her head. "We all stood up for you when your mother demanded that you stay in Peaceland, and we did it because we all love you, very much. You aren't just the computer operator, you're an adorable young girl that everyone wants to hug and take home with them." He smiled, laughing a little at his words. "I got a little too sappy, didn't I?"

Ruri nodded slowly. "But it did help, Tenkawa-san. I don't know now, but I can always figure it out later." Akito nodded. "That's the spirit, Ruri!"

~*~

Five hours into the walk to Carmina, Yukina draped herself on the back of Jun's cockpit chair. "Hey, Jun? I'm bored. Talk to me, please?" Jun keep his vision on the screens in front of him, like a nervous driver, but raised a dark blue eyebrow. "Okay, well, um, what do you want to talk about, Yukina?"

Yukina didn't even need to think. She couldn't talk about this to Minato; she just wasn't in the right place to understand. She couldn't talk to any of the adults in her class, not even Ruri, who was only a few months older than her. Ruri may have been her friend, but not even she was close enough, nor in this situation. "Do you ever wish you were under some other God?"

"Huh?" the question caught Jun off guard. Of course he never thought about it. What was there to think about? He was the only one of their number that had been "chosen" by Flamma, the goddess of fire. From what he knew, She wasn't a very bad person. In fact, She wasn't a bad person at all. "No… I guess I've never really thought about it. Why do you ask?"

Yukina slid down the back of the chair until she was sitting on the floor again, resting her head on the back of it and looking at her black socks. "I really don't like my God. Magus sounds like a real bitch and a half. Pardon my language," she said monotone, as if she had to say it often. "I mean, all I hear is that I should respect Him for giving me advantages that others don't have, but then I hear about how He basically wants most of us dead for just existing! I just don't think we should be secluded to one God."

Jun considered this. This girl obviously had been thinking about this for a while. "Well, I've never been the religious type. It always pissed my parents off, but we're not going into that. But, since I have actual proof in front of me, sure, I'll give Flamma all the respect she wants. No big deal. But She's not a bad person. Personally, I would feel horrible if I was under a God that wanted my friends for dinner."

Yukina tapped her chin. "So, do you think it would be bad if I gave my respects to all of Them? I mean, all Five Gods?" Jun shrugged. "I don't know. I think you should do what you want. If that's what you want to do, don't let people like Rumiko-san or Miss Fressange stop you." Yukina smiled. "You're a nice guy, Jun, you know that?"

Jun rolled his eyes. "Of course. I'm ALWAYS the nice guy," he grumbled.

~*~

Six hours into the walk, Yurika's cockpit, Izumi's cockpit, and Rumiko's cockpit were instantly filled with tons of communication window, all of people complaining that they needed a break, they needed some food, or they needed to go to the bathroom. Yurika's head was spinning. "All right! All right! We'll stop!!!"

Within an hour, they had a fire set up and lunch was served and eaten. Then they were able to just relax for another hour.

Akito pulled his thin wire glasses off his face and set them on his head. He then proceeded to rub his eyes. Gai noticed this obvious act of exhaustion, and cocked his head to regard the smaller, yet older man. "Tired?" Akito glanced up and nodded. "Yeah. Just a little. But… Not so much tired as I am worried."

Gai nodded. Everyone seemed on edge for the same reason. "Who ISN'T worried? Shit, we're going to the one place that, well, we may not come back from!" Just then, Akito realized how much his boyfriend was fidgeting. Gai was obviously trying to hide his fears and uncertainty, but he wasn't doing a good job.

Akito hadn't really thought about that. "Of course… They're going to kill us, aren't they? Sure, we may get the barrier lifted, but we're not going to leave alive." The very prospect of it was mind-blowing. They hadn't really thought much on the fact that a GOD wanted them to die, as Rumiko and Igadosu didn't do anything to issue the order. But they were going to a place where this order would be LAW. Akito pulled his knees up to his chest and rested his chin on them.

Gai wrapped both of his arms around him, not to comfort the Martian, but more to comfort himself. 'All this time, I've cheated death. Will this time be the last time? And what about Akito? He… he isn't like me. He doesn't just rise from the dead like I seem to. He'll… he'll most definitely die.' He surprised himself by burying his head into Akito's hair. "Akito, I don't want you to die."

Akito pulled his glasses off his head. "I… I don't want you to die either." Gai shook his head violently. "I might not. There's a good chance that I won't. But, Akito… you will, if they decide that you must. I… I don't want you to…" Gai was openly crying now, his fears out in the open and fallen to ears that actually cared.

Akito was very touched. 'He has no concern for himself, but only for me. It seems that he still loves me more than he wants to admit. He still may see me as the stupid bastard that hurt him, but he would do anything for me to not leave him again, not even in death.' Akito did not cry, but just set his glasses on his nose again. "Gai-chan. I won't die if I can help it. I won't let them. I'll kill them first, okay?" He turned and smiled at him to try to get a smile out of the taller man. Gai sighed in relief, but still looked very worried about it. "Akito, will we make it back to Earth alive? All of us?" Akito shook his head. "I don't know. I honestly don't know."

~*~

Nine hours into the trip, Akito beeped into Jun's communications. He certainly wasn't as confident about Carmina as he was about an hour ago. In fact, the Martian was whispering so he wouldn't give away his being upset to his three passengers, who were playing cards in the back. "Jun? Can I talk to you?"

Jun slowed his Aesti for a bit, then glanced behind him at Minato and Yukina. They were talking about what sort of furniture and clothes Yukina might want when they get to Earth. "Sure. Is there something wrong, Akito?"

Akito's eyes were big behind his frames, and he nodded quickly. "I'm scared… Scared and worried. I don't want Gai-chan to feel bad for making me worry more about it, and the girls would obviously tell him." Jun nodded, but was still very confused. "What's up? Scared and worried about what?"

Akito got closer to the screen. "Jun, do you realize that we are going to go see the big worshipping guy for Magus? Rumiko and Igadosu were nice enough to keep up alive, but what about this Mythos Entrada guy?" Jun's blood froze. "Akito, are you saying-"

"I'm saying, we may not make it off this planet alive, Jun," whispered the cook, obviously very distressed about this little fact that Jun himself looked over. He sniffled as a single tear fell down his cheek. "Jun, I'm scared. I don't wanna die. I don't."

Jun sighed. He remembered that, while they were all in Limbo together, Miss Fressange had stated that Akito's fear was death itself. Death of others and himself. He never thought he would see the day when Akito cried in front of them. "Oh Akito… Miss Fressange, Rumiko, Igadosu, and Yurika won't let us be harmed. They won't allow it. This trip wouldn't have been planned unless they took that possibility into account. Besides, I'm sure we could take them down like the bitches they are, right?" Jun smiled at Akito to indicate that it was a joke. Akito still looked unsure.

"Are you sure, Jun?" Akito sounded like a little kid afraid of a monster in his closet. Jun nodded. "I constantly have to depend on Yurika. This is definitely the time when it's appropriate, don't you think?" Akito nodded slowly. "I suppose so." He grabbed a tissue from off screen and blew his nose. "Thanks, Jun. You really actually helped, in an odd way."

Jun smiled. "My pleasure." Akito glared at him. "And don't tell anyone that I cried in front of you, ok? I'll never live it down." Jun laughed at the request. "No prob, Akito. Your tough bitch reputation won't die because of me." Akito actually smiled back. "It better not. Just keep in mind that I can still kick your ass." Jun rolled his eyes. "Of course."

~*~

Thirteen hours into the trip, it was Yurika's own exhaustion that gave the order to stop for the night. After the camp had been set up, she was so tired she practically collapsed on Akatsuki, who was showing signs for sleepiness himself. "God, I am so tired!"

Akatsuki smirked. "It's not as easy as it looks, now, is it?" Yurika glared at him. "I didn't volunteer for this position." Akatsuki shrugged. "You didn't seem to wonder if it was a good idea or not when the war ended."

Yurika grew silent. "Nagare, do you think we DID end the war? Or is it still going to this day?" Akatsuki shrugged again. "I don't know, but I think that the war would have ended eventually, especially with the Jovians' weapons running low. Earth wasn't in such a great position either."

Yurika regarded him with her green eyes. For once, he sounded like the war was a bad thing. "And what about Nergal?" Akatsuki rolled his eyes. "I'm sure Erina is taking care of it. Hell, she's put up with me giving her orders all the time, I'm sure she just couldn't wait to take control." This wasn't the first time he mentioned Erina taking his place. It seemed odd, that he would relinquish such a responsibility, and such an honor, to his cousin.

Yurika laid down on the ground, watching the fire that Rumiko ordered Jun to set up a little over a half hour ago. "Nagare, why would you give the company up to Erina so easily? Isn't it your family's pride and joy?"

"Erina is my cousin, and direct heir after me, assuming I don't have children. Once I kick the bucket, she gets Nergal and all the money and power associated with it. She's been flapping her gums about killing me for the company, but, while she may share the malicious trait of our family, it isn't quite as prominent. I sincerely doubt she has the guts to kill me." Yurika was stunned; how could Akatsuki speak of such matters so heartlessly? Sure, he was characterized, even known for his ruthlessness, but this was just a little too much.

"How can you talk about dying so… normally? As if it's something that happens everyday, and not something horrible?" 'At least Akito understood that death IS something horrible. Both of his parents were killed, their murder an order by the father of this man. He knows what it's like. But Nagare's brother was killed in an accident, doesn't he understand?'

"Death is like firing someone, Yurika. You don't need them anymore, you let them go. If they stand in your way, you take them out of the picture. Simple as that." Yurika frowned. "But that's so cold."

"Sure it's cold. Life is cold. Besides, death DOES happen everyday. It's just a fact of whether it's today or tomorrow. Personally, I don't care when I die. I could die the second we get to Carmina, and it wouldn't matter. All of my affairs are in order. They have always BEEN in order. I won't be leaving anything unaccounted for. And it's perfectly fine with me."

Yurika wrapped her arms around herself. 'That's why he didn't the war was so bad. Because they were all going to die anyway. It's all so…' "Heartless," she finished, aloud. Akatsuki shrugged. "When it comes to life and death, yes. Love on the other hand…" He took the moment to kiss her passionately, dispelling all her thoughts of him not caring about anything, "is something that should be cherished." Akatsuki smiled wickedly at her, and she couldn't help but smile back. Because that last part was true.

~*~

Itsuki elbowed Jun in the ribs. "Gee, guess who's necking?" She waggled her eyebrows in the direction across the fire to where Akatsuki and Yurika sat. Jun just sighed, but didn't glare in their direction. "Who cares?"

A collective sigh rang around their group. Hikaru pulled her knees to her chest, not caring about whoever had a perfect view of her panties. "It's hard to have fun when you know your on a trip leading to your own death." She closed her eyes and laid her head on her knees, as if curling up to go to sleep.

Izumi nodded, running a hand through her long bangs. "Inez has been antsy, and I'm sure she's thinking the same thing. Carmina… is starting to look horrible with every step." Jun nodded. "Hard to believe that we're going to become casualties in this holocaust set up by an angry God."

Even Itsuki was solemn. "And to think, I have to follow this God. Magus, why is He such an asshole? This is horrible, terrible, awful. Tons of words to describe it, but we just can't because those tons of words don't really exist."

Ryoko pounded the ground, letting a small shockwave shake the camp. "Damn it! Why is this so final?! I mean, are we all just giving ourselves up?" Gai smiled slightly. "That's right. Are we just going to go there and let them kill us? Whatever happened to us to make us so vulnerable?"

Itsuki stood, rejuvenated by this discovery. "That's right! Why SHOULD we give up? I mean, we've lived through a war, haven't we? We lived through hell itself, and now we're just going to let them take what we've worked so hard to keep? I say, if they want to take us out, they have another thing coming!"

Ryoko nodded furiously. "Damn straight, Itsuki. Terra, we're the greatest damn Aestivalis pilots on the planet Earth AND the colonies! Why else would we have been chosen for the Nadesico's crew? We're the best of the best, and we're sure as hell not going to let them take us without a fight. And we'll kick their asses, right?" Without even thinking about it, Ryoko had taken the leader position and brought up their spirits with only a few words.

Some were not convinced, however. Jun could tell as Akito bit his lip. Jun shook his head. 'Not even reassurance from Ryoko is going to bring him up. He has to face his fears, head on. Sure, he's faced death before, but never so close where he can practically smell it.' Jun smiled at him, and Akito tried to smile back. It didn't work. Jun mouthed, "You'll be okay," to the Martian, and he nodded in response.

~*~

Then next morning, about seven in the morning, Akatsuki received an odd message. It wasn't what was to be said in the message, oh no. It was who sent the message. Izumi.

'"I'd like to talk to you." Well now, is someone feeling guilty?' Akatsuki, highly amused by this random act of submission from the pale pilot, connected immediately. "Well? What is so important that you can't talk to your own little friends about?" His tone was not angry, but humored, which made Izumi slightly annoyed.

"Rinji." The simple word that fell from Izumi's pale lips made Akatsuki's black eyebrows nearly audibly snap together. The one thing Akatsuki had to relate with the woman in the screen before was the one thing he couldn't help but despise. "What about him?" he asked, trying to keep his cocky tone.

"You know exactly what about him." She sighed. "Akatsuki, I'm aware that no one seems to like you very much, save for Kanchou. But I understand that you are still a person. And you still blame me for the death of your brother. Hell, I blame myself. But can't there be any peace between us?"

'Oh, this is PRECIOUS. Izumi is asking for peace between the two of us. One of the fugitives that we had problems tracking down when they all mutinied? The girl that got my brother killed and my life practically ruined?' "How could I ever forgive you?" The last thought sparked a huge kindling fire within the CEO of Nergal. "You're the reason he died, the reason he haunts me to this day. You ruined my LIFE, Maki. Do you realize that? My life!"

"How do you think I felt!?" cried the blue-haired pilot. "To know that it was my own longing for his presence that signed his death warrant? I was suicidal for months before I followed Hikaru's example of keeping her emotions inside and hidden! I never wanted him to die, never!"

"Did you even bother to think about his family? At all, Maki?"

Izumi had no answer for that. True, at the time, she was so distraught, she didn't care. Besides, she already knew Rinji's family hated her, even before his death. She knew that calling them and talking to them would only make it worse. Akatsuki wasn't finished. "You knew Rinji would be the CEO of Nergal after our father died. You knew who was requesting you to join the crew of the Nadesico. Why did you accept the request, if you knew who was hiring you?"

Izumi's crimson eyes darkened, nearly to the color of dried blood. Old blood from old wounds. "To atone. To prove myself as a person with some worth. If I was worth your request, then maybe your family could forgive me somehow." She paused. "why did you request me, anyway?"

"Because you were one of the Three Angels, the best damn pilots on Earth or the colonies. We needed you. We hired the best of the best, and somehow, you had put yourself in the list, because of your abilities." Akatsuki stated this as if it was easy, though the look on his face betrayed that it was not. Izumi sighed; it was obvious. He hated her.

"I apologize for your loss, once again." Akatsuki began to laugh, humorlessly. "Apologize? I say it ruined my life, but do you know to what area? I'm one of the most powerful and rich men in the world, hell, the solar system!" Izumi blinked. 'Of course, why does he say his life is ruined?'

Akatsuki's face hardened once again. "I had dreams, Izumi. Do you realize that? I was eighteen when Rinji died. I was barely out of high school. I planned to be a doctor, just like the infamous Inez Fressange. She wasn't my idol, but the human body has always fascinated me. I now know many ways for one person to die, you know." His somewhat evil smile did not change Izumi's expression. "But those dreams were crushed. Crushed, because my brother died. Because you wanted him to visit you. I never really loved my brother. But he ruined my life, all that I wanted."

Izumi lowered her gaze. "Akatsuki. I loved him. I loved him dearly. We were planning to be married. Don't you remember how angry your family was? But, all of my dreams were crushed as well. Crushed because of some stupid accident, an accident that was all my fault. I'll never forgive myself, but will you forgive me?"

Izumi's speech surprised Akatsuki. He didn't think it was possible for one to care so much about someone, even years after their death. Yes, he believed love was something that barely ever came, and when it did, it was a sign of good luck, but it wasn't something that lived very long.

He hadn't even thought about what his brother's death did to her. She said she was suicidal, that they had been planning to marry. She lost just as much as he did, and more, because he still had his money and future ahead of him. When they go back to Earth, what would she have? Inez? He didn't think it would last very long. Her friends, yes. But would she have anything to live on, to put food on the table? 'She's as broken as me, and I wouldn't even see it. Sometimes I wonder if my arrogance doesn't get the better of me, like it just did.'

"I forgive you, Izumi."

~*~

Two hours later, Megumi was very bored. She didn't have anyone right in front of her to talk to or play cards with. And Minato was yapping with Yukina and didn't want to be disturbed. She sighed. 'So…' "BORING!" she cried out, yanking on her braid.

Her yell made Rumiko jump. "AHHH!" The Aesti shook with his frightened reaction, and Megumi had to grip his chair to not fall down. He stopped entirely, and tried to catch his breath. He turned to glare at the Communications Officer. "Was there a good reason for that?"

Megumi shrugged. "Not really. I'm just extremely bored." A few seconds of silence before the Aesti was up and walking again. "Hey, Rumiko? What's Carmina like?" Rumiko was getting better at juggling conscious thought and moving the robot, and considered his answer. "Well, it's much bigger than Somenolenthe, and there are many more stores. There are even restaurants there, not to mention the Ecclesiastical Palace and First Temple of Magus." Megumi cocked her head. "Ecclesiastical Palace?"

"Yes. The First Priest of Magus is automatically the ruler of the planet." Megumi's jaw dropped. "Is Ninlan really so small?" Rumiko nodded. "It's only about a fourth of the size of Mars. However, we've always had such a distinguished government, than no one ever wanted to mess with us, politically. Militantly, we were also the biggest house for mages in the union, back then, when we kept contact with the rest of the solar system."

Megumi furrowed her brow. "Where is Ninlan, anyway?" Rumiko regarded her with a confused look. "You mean you came here and you don't even know where Ninlan is?" Megumi shook her head. Rumiko sighed. "Well, it's about as far away from the small planet you call Pluto as Jupiter is to Mars."

"Really?" Megumi was surprised. She expected them to be much farther in space than that. Maybe, while they were kissing, Akito and Yurika weren't thinking very far in their lifes, their futures? 'Maybe that's a key to Boson Jumping…'

Rumiko looked around the area that they were in. Then he messaged Yurika. "Misumaru-san, it should only be a few hours until we reach Carmina. Maybe two or three, at our rate."

Yurika smiled, genuinely happy with this turn of events. "Are you serious? Wonderful! I'll alert everyone!"

~*~

TBC…

~*~

A/N: Wow, was that not-fun or what? Lots of angsting there, wasn't there? Lots of death-talk. Wee. Yeah, anyway. How was it? I threw in some Akatsuki stuff in there, because, well, I could. Don't think I like the guy, because I don't. But he's a person too. Anyway. Next time? Um, lots of debating and describing. And stuff. Not really any characterization, but I may end up having to put it in there. We're getting to the point where people will be too worried/scared shitless to worry about stupid things like relationships between people. ^^ AKA, plot rape. ^^ Ohhhh, baby. Yeah. So, as usual, review me if you want, or don't if you don't. Whatever. Just remember. Reviews equal inflated ego, and an inflated ego equals less writer's block. So, until next time, see ya! 


	16. Reassurance comes with a price

A/N: Yes, I'm aware this took nearly three fricken weeks to spit out. BITE ME. It's called writer's block, family, and holidays. That, and Carmina is being a huge bitch to me. I knew you'd understand. That being said, let's do the normal thing, ne? If this chapter sucks in comparison to the others, blame it on writer's block and be done with it. Anyway. Let us begin the plot rape. ^^ This time, I am NOT kidding. This one will SO be ending on a cliffhanger. I'm planned very well this time. ^^ Anyway. Last time, lots of people worried about becoming very dead. Also, people foreshadowing blatantly what's going to happen, and characterization of people who NEED to be characterized NOW, because the chance may not come up later. This time? Keep your eyes and ears open, because there will be a LOT of debating and overall flapping gums about future stuff and stuff that is important to them now. Maybe a little REQUIRED characterization, but little else, all right? All righty. Oh, and if the speech seems a bit different from my normal dialogue, that's because to get help with this chapter, I've been reading a great deal of fantasy stories and watching fantasy movies lately. They all seem to talk a bit more properly than I'm used to, so it may reflect here. Anyway. Let's get on with it, shall we?

~*~

For once, Inez could not explain the subject at hand. And this was only because she had no clue of how this would turn out, not to mention the fact that she was as curious, but not as worried, as most of the others. However, her lack of knowledge about the city they were headed to unnerved her; she was always used to knowing everything. Flying blind was one thing the Martian doctor did not want to do. "Rumiko-san, Igadosu-san, what do you believe we shall achieve in Carmina?"

Rumiko shrugged. "I think we should be able to get the barrier taken down, but other than that, I have no idea. I've never been to Carmina." Various jaw dropped open, all around the lunch cooking fire. "WHAT?"

Igadosu chuckled and shook his head. "Of course he's never been to Carmina. He was supposed to go with the trade caravans this summer to complete his apprenticeship, but of course he stopped that because of recent events…"

Izumi crossed her arms. "I think it's safe to say that I speak for a lot of people when I say that we're worried about what will happen there. Rumiko told us, when he met us, that the Temple of Magus officials are to kill all non-Magus-aligned mages. Doesn't that mean that we're in danger?"

Igadosu quickly shook his head. "Not while Miss Ai, Rumiko, and myself are here. We are of high enough rank to actually argue your case." Inez smirked. "Worse come to worst, kill the bastard."

Color drained from Rumiko's face. "Please do not take her words to heart." Igadosu roared with laughter. "Rumiko, you're just too uptight! At least Miss Ai knows how to have some fun!" Inez nodded, glancing at Izumi. "I learn from the best."

Izumi blushed. Hikaru held a hand up, as if she were in school. "So what're we supposed to do while you are talking to this Mythos guy?" Igadosu tapped his chin. "It would be best if you were there, then maybe you could supply myself, Rumiko, Miss Ai, and Yurika with some points as to why the barrier should be taken down."

Yurika's ears perked up, hearing her name. "Excuse me? I'm going to be speaking as well? Why didn't anyone inform me of this?" Inez crossed her arms. "It's obvious that you'll be speaking, Kanchou. You want off Ninlan the most, I believe, and you're also aligned to Magus. That could sway anything I have to say considerably." Yurika bit her lip. "I really wish you didn't just drop the bomb on me… what am I supposed to do?"

"Just tell them how much you want to go home, how the Elemental mages on the ship haven't done anything wrong, nothing to hurt anyone magically, and you'll be fine," answered Rumiko.

Despite his calm tone, Megumi, sitting next to him, could tell that he was just a nervous as everyone else. In fact, everyone seemed worried about the city they were heading to, save for Inez and Igadosu. Yurika wasn't worried before, but she certainly was now. Megumi couldn't help but wonder, 'Why does she want us to leave so badly? Does she really believe this planet so horrible? I think it's a good change from Earth. Not so much to worry about. Well, for ME to worry about. Frankly, I like Ninlan. A lot.'

~*~

A half hour after they got started, Carmina was well in sight. Surprisingly, the biggest city on the planet, Carmina, was no bigger than a characteristic small town on Earth. The fact that it was only about a fifteen minute's walk away caused the parade to stop and unload their passengers.

Yurika took hold of her charge and sorted people out. "Well, I don't believe we'll need that many people to go into town with us, or to argue our case to the Temple. In fact, technically, we'd only need our mages. And not even all of those." She paused to think. "I've got it. Everyone will stay except the following," she started counting off on her fingers, "Akito, Ruri, Igadosu-san, Rumiko-san, Miss Fressange, Hikaru, Nagare, Izumi, Megumi, Yamada-san, and myself. Is everyone all right with this?" Megumi raised a hand. "Kanchou, why are they staying?"

Yurika glanced at her former rival. "We don't want anything to happen to our transportation while we're gone, do we? And besides, we have to consider the possibility that we are imprisoned or worse. Thus, we have to make sure we have enough people who knew what happened to go back to the ship, and capable of replacing us." Yurika's calm tone unnerved Megumi. 'It's like she's ready to face her end, and we aren't even sure they'll do anything to us when we get there.'

The walk towards the city was short and silent. It was only when they entered the unmanned gates, that gasps and words of appreciation left lips.

Carmina was like a living time capsule, looking like places only imagined by fantasy writers and role-players. On the outskirts was the seedier, rundown area of town. Houses were either damaged or destroyed entirely, and small nonetheless. There was much more noise in the air, screaming of the robbed and crying of hungry babies.

One little girl pulled Megumi's heartstrings. She couldn't have been older than Ariko, but she stood in a ripped, dirty dress, her hair mussed and hopelessly tangled, no shoes covering her dirty, callused feet. 'Children live this horribly on this planet? Because of no money? At least on Earth, the UE government protected you, as long as you stayed on their good side and the right side of the law. But this, this is horrible.'

"No Man's Land. The crossing from wilderness to civilization. People without direction or means must live here until they are capable to taking care of themselves. The Temple tries to support them, but there are just so many of them," explained Igadosu, morose. Megumi swallowed. 'Much like Earth…'

After passing No Man's Land, the group entered the more middle-class area, with tons of shops, kiosks, and houses. The streets were less noisy, but still full of light-hearted sound. Calling for customers to check wares, the sounds of horses and carriages traveling the streets, women gossiping in stores. Ruri blinked a few times. Despite the lack of technology, this area of Ninlan's capital reminded her much of Peaceland.

Yurika was the first to spot a relatively large inn, only about three stories high. She glanced at the sun. "I don't think we'll be able to get going on the Aestivalises tonight, nor make it back to camp by dark." Igadosu snorted. "Hell, I don't think we'll even make it out of the Council's chambers before dark." Yurika nodded. "Maybe we should reserve some rooms for tonight now, while we're right here?"

"I'll do it," announced Megumi. She turned to Rumiko. "I'll need some money." Rumiko surrendered his purse to her without a thought. Counting out the coins, she bit her lip. "Um, how many rooms should I get?" Hikaru glanced at everyone, considering everyone's relations to everyone else. "I think five would be good. Six would be better, but five at the very least. I can room with Ruri and Igadosu-san," she explained, "since everyone else all ready has a sleeping buddy." Gai coughed to show his acknowledgement for her hidden meaning. Yurika rolled her eyes. "Five rooms, Megumi, should be good."

"Aye, aye, Captain," saluted Megumi in plain English. It took her several minutes, but she soon came back, swinging Rumiko's now empty purse. She flung the sack at him. "Five rooms equal fifty pence. Nice cheap rooms, if you ask me." Rumiko glared that the Communications Officer. "This only means you won't be buying any more clothes." Megumi scowled. "It proved valuable though, didn't it? No one even suggested I wasn't Ninlandish."

Inez crossed her arms. "If the two of you are finished bickering like a married couple, I'd like to be out of the chambers and hit the bath house BEFORE midnight tonight. If you've reserved the rooms, we should go. Ne, Kanchou?" Yurika nodded slowly. "Where's the First Temple, Igadosu-san?" Igadosu pointed straight ahead. "In the center of the city, binding all the energies of the people in the city, not to mention the energies of the plains and the sea."

Izumi nodded. "I thought this city was on the ocean, but I couldn't be sure." Rumiko crossed his arms. "Igadosu and I will go in first. I think you should all stay behind for the first few moments."

"No, I'm going in too. I have to plead our case with dependency on my past. Besides, they'll believe you if I'm with you. You have to admit that the story is a bit farfetched." Igadosu chuckled. "We wouldn't dream of restricting your activities, Miss Ai. And I do admit that your presence when we first enter may make a difference in the swaying of Lord Mythos's will."

The group followed Igadosu towards the center of the small city, until a large building seemingly appeared before them. It was nearly as tall as the Nadesico itself; the stones used to construct it were gray, but sparkling with small fragments of crystals. On the outside, the temple seemed very plain, but was formidable-looking, much more powerful than the simple temple in Somenolenthe.

Rumiko turned to the group. "Ano…" he stepped over to Igadosu and tugged his beard to get the old mage's attention. "Shouldn't Meg come in with us?" whispered the former apprentice. Igadosu's graying eyebrows furrowed. "Whatever for?"

"Well, she is the prophesized girl in the dreams, remember? And perhaps her speaking skills will prove beneficial." Igadosu sighed. "Mixing business with pleasure is uncharacteristic for you, Rumiko, but I admire your devotion and excuses… I mean reasons." Igadosu smiled wickedly at the now blushing Copy mage. Inez chuckled. "Megumi, we've decided you'll come in with us, initially." Megumi blinked; she wasn't expecting this, but went in with them anyway.

The inside was not made of wood, like the temple in Somenolenthe, but stone and metal, and expensive ones at that. It seemed like the people were more respective of a God that could easily destroy them than of their own people. The thought angered Megumi a bit.

Inez was looking around as well. The First Temple of Flamma, on Ancient Mars, had been made of wood, copper, iron, and rubies, making it all glow with the eternal fires that burned on the torches that lined the walls. This temple was lit only with spelled crystals, mostly diamonds, giving it a cold and unwelcome light, one that served darkness and darkness alone, hiding it from those who wishes for its power. Upon seeing the statue of Magus himself, perfectly carved out of silver, or platinum, Inez shivered. The cold metal eyes of the figure seemed to bore into her, damning her for being of Terra's allegiance. 'At least Flamma's eyes regarded me kindly, especially since I had the angry power of her lover in my veins.'

Both Rumiko and Igadosu immediately fell to their knees, bending their heads, closing their eyes, and making prayer positions with their hands. Looking more into the temple, Megumi and Inez could see why. In front of the statue sat a man in prayer position as well. His red hair was pulled away from his face in a ponytail on the top of his head, but did nothing to stop its curls from fanning out to his ears. He wore a silver and violet robe, obviously made of silk and other fine fabrics. The man stood and turned slightly to regard the visitors to the temple. Closer scrutiny would show that he had the look of a Japanese person, especially with his walnut shaped eyes. His skin was darker, darker than even Mr. Hory's, it seemed, and he had a very large diamond hanging off a chain outside his robes. Golden hems and smaller diamonds woven into the robe hinted his wealth, as his firm mouth and hard brown eyes proved his leadership in such a long-lost land as Ninlan was.

"You must be Lord Mythos Entrada of Carmina, the First Priest of Magus!" exclaimed Megumi without thinking. Rumiko stood and spun to glare at the Communications Officer. "Foolish girl! Do you not think before speaking in front of your superiors, Miss Rainerd?" As Megumi opened her mouth to retort, Inez passed a hand between them. "Hold it for another time, you two." She cleared her throat. "Your excellency, we come requesting your assistance in a matter only you have a say in. Please hear our case." She bent her head to regard his superiority to herself.

Mythos finally spoke. "Subordinate Priest of the Temple in Somenolenthe, Igadosu Toccata, Magus's Rage. Apprentice priest of the Temple in Somenolenthe, Rumiko Adagio, Magus's Calm. Yes. I know who they are." He regarded Inez and Megumi with a hard, uncaring expression. "You, however, I do not recognize."

Megumi stiffened and bowed immediately and deeply, gripping her Ninlan-style skirts and lifting them to show her slippers. "Communications Officer of the ND-001, Nadesico of Earth, your excellency, Megan Rainerd of Earth." She bit her lip, afraid that her introduction was unsatisfactory.

Inez bowed as well, but not as elegantly, nor as deeply. "Head Doctor of the ND-001, Nadesico of Earth, and Head of Science Department at Nergal Heavy Industries in Earth, your excellency. I am known to my colleagues as Inez Fressange, but my true name is Maboroshi Ai of Mars." She smirked slightly, relishing the skeptical look on the priest and emperor's face.

Mythos furrowed his brow as he fingered his amulet. "Lies. Lady Ai of the Martian empire is dead. She died with the rest of population of that doomed planet." Inez shook her head slowly. "She did not. She used the Time-Space Teleportation Calculator to Teleport to March of this year, then Teleported back to the Martian deserts of twenty years ago. I assure you, my name is correct and honest."

Mythos continued to finger his amulet. "Lady Ai was one of the last of the corrupted mages, a Terra's Rage, if I believe. She would have been put to death by Magus's true followers, yes?" He now regarded Igadosu and Rumiko, who both blushed and hid their faces. Mythos's brown eyes flared with an inner fire. "Yes?" he boomed, obviously angered by the insubordination of the other mages before him.

Inez smirked again and opened her right hand, which now freely glowed dark green. She rose a few feet into the air, pushing her power against the ground. Megumi would have freaked, had it been about a month or two ago. But now, odd workings like these had become commonplace with the crew of the Nadesico. She had come to accept them; especially since Rumiko told her she might be on the same psychic plane as him.

Mythos now openly pointed his anger at Rumiko and Igadosu. "How is it that she is still alive, even with her record in the legends? The law is that mages of the corrupted Elemental Gods will be put to death upon discovery!"

The doors opened, quite quickly for them being made of rock. "Frankly, Mythos, I don't think anyone else cares," announced Akatsuki, flanked by Yurika. Megumi couldn't have been any happier to see her crewmates at the moment. Mythos was speechless. "Seven corrupted mages? All ALIVE?"

Hikaru smirked, the look making her seem smug at the situation. "And more back at camp. I don't think you'll want to say know to hearing what we want from you." Mythos growled deep into his throat, and brought his hands close together. A flash of silver was all the group saw before the pain began, someone gripping their minds with an iron grip. All were at its mercy but Yurika and Igadosu, who fought of the invading magical hands of Mythos with magical, Possession-capable hands of their own.

"You WILL hear our plea, Lord Mythos. You may or may not agree with it, but you will not force us to bend to your will. We will not be put to death. Our band of mages has not done any harm to you or your people, nor will they without reason. We have not come here by choice, rather, by circumstance." At Yurika's defiant words, Mythos let go, amused by the strong will of such a woman. "Big words, strong words for such a small girl. Fine. I will hear your case in chambers. But know this. The first blood spilt on our lands by a Elemental, especially of your band, I will not be able to withhold the will of Magus as He comes to do as he sees fit with blasphemers like yourselves." With that, Mythos spun, giving his robes a bit of a twirl as he disappeared into the darkness of the Inner Sanctum of the temple.

Yurika turned back to her crew. "Is everyone all right? I never knew someone could be so strong…" She shivered and rubbed her white-clad arms. Gai put a hand to his forehead as he stood. "Anyone get the license plate number of the truck?" A few of the now standing laughed, while others tried to discover, once again, where they were. A few needed to be pulled up to their feet by trusted friends, and wobbled once they got there. Even Inez rubbed her temples to get rid of the feeling of Mythos's grubby hands on her mind. Rumiko shook his head; even Igadosu's touch wasn't that rough. "Well, who's all going in to meet with him?"

Yurika took control again; it seemed her duty to do so. "I, Igadosu-san, Rumiko-san, Miss Fressange, and Hikaru are definitely going… Maybe Meg and Ruri should too…" Izumi nodded. "That leaves me, Akito, Gai, and Akatsuki out here. Perfect. We're professional fighters. It seems perfect that we stay here and make sure no one tries to sabotage this operation." Akatsuki and Akito nodded. It was perfect and convenient. Gai was skeptical. "Shouldn't you have someone in there that can protect you from him?"

Hikaru put her hands on her hips. "What am I, chopped liver?" Gai crossed his arms. "You didn't do much against that mental attack, now, did you?" Hikaru stood defiant against the much taller pilot. "Yurika and Igadosu are perfect against that. Besides, that was while we weren't on our guard. He won't do it twice. It wouldn't work, since now we're watching him and waiting for him to do as such."

Gai opened his mouth to speak, but caught Akito's glare at him. Akito shook his head, indicating that Hikaru was right. Gai sighed in defeat. "Fine." Satisfied, Hikaru turned back to those she would debate on the side of. "Well, what are we waiting for?"

~*~

As they entered the Inner Sanctum and the trial chambers, the group was in awe of the light that battled the darkness of the center of the temple. It came from the spelled crystals, like the front worshipping room, but these were much stronger and obviously made to last. The odd thing about them, is that they were embedded into the floor between their balcony and Mythos's, which was a level or so higher than theirs. A long stone bench sat at their balcony, which everyone save for Yurika sat on. She stood at the makeshift pedestal at the railing of their balcony, looking up at Mythos without moving her head.

Mythos now had a golden staff in his hands, obviously believing that it could protect him from the mages before him. "Well? What is it that you want from me so badly that you have to invade the First Temple of Magus, a building erected by Magus Himself?"

Yurika chose her words carefully. She had never been much of a public speaker; that was always Megumi's strength. But as Captain of the Nadesico, it was her duty to explain her crew's appearance in this place of religious worship on Ninlan. "We beg of you, Lord Mythos Entrada of Carmina and Ninlan, to lift the Shield-Barrier on Ninlan so that our ship may leave the atmosphere and safely Teleport its way back to Earth."

"Preposterous!" cried the Emperor of Ninlan, First Priest of Magus. "That Barrier has been up since before any of us were born. I can't just take it down because some corrupted mages want it taken down. It's completely unethical!"

"Please, my liege, reconsider. Our people want nothing more than to go home. I myself have want nothing but since we first arrived. What's wrong with us asking for you to take away, temporarily, the only thing keeping us here? You obviously don't want us here. We solve two very big problems by letting us go, by taking down the Barrier." Megumi had to admit, Yurika had some strong arguments to work with. 'Maybe, she'll be able to sway him on her own.'

But Mythos wasn't finished. His darkened skin reddened with embarrassment and rage. "Little girl, you don't seem to understand the implications that taking the Barrier down would encompass. It would leave us completely unprotected from your empire, not to mention any others in the universe with the TST technology."

Inez stood at the mention of the very computer she had in her laboratory. "Lord Mythos, no one else has the TST technology, no one but us. Sure, the Jupiterians are capable of using it, a lot better than Earth is at the moment, but we have the Calculator in our possession." This statement shocked the poor priest. "Are you serious? But the TST Calculator is buried deep in ice, in the Martian Polar Cap! Is it even capable of being moved?"

Now it was Ruri's turn to speak, but she did not stand. "The Boson Jump Computer has nothing to do with Mars, other than being created there. It works perfectly wherever in the universe it is. However, possession of it results in much more Jumping power, not to mention more Chulip materials with which to make more formidable weapons."

Mythos considered this. "Why do you have this artifact in your possession?" Yurika answered this question. "Because both Earth and Jupiter would have taken it to use against each other in the recent war." Mythos smirked; he was certain he found a flaw in their tale. "And are you not aligned to Earth?"

Yurika paused; how could she explain the Nadesico aggressive neutrality to an Emperor? "The Nadesico… is aligned only to itself. It fights whoever question it or approach it. The crew fights for themselves, not for eh ideal or benefit of some faceless leader." Inez snickered; Akatsuki himself was a faceless leader of Nergal until recently, when his cover had been blown and everyone learned the truth.

Mythos nodded. "How very noble. Impossible to find such selfishness and selflessness in one person. Tell me," he paused, not knowing this brave girl's name. Yurika caught the reason for the halt of speech, and nodded her head. "Captain Misumaru Yurika of the ND-001, Nadesico, daughter of Admiral Misumaru Kouichiro of the United Earth Armed Forces." Mythos nodded. "Tell me, Misumaru-san, what about this request would benefit our land, our planet, hmm?"

'A loaded question. One that could sway this entire debate out of our hands, or into our favor. Don't mess this one up, Kanchou.' Megumi braced herself. Yurika could sense the tension that came with the question. She was prepared for this question, but not prepared to answer it without gathering her courage. Licking her lips she took a deep breath and let the answer ooze from her lips. "Lord Mythos, we offer you the TST Calculator."

Mythos's jaw dropped; as did most of the present crew. Hikaru stood and gripped Yurika's shoulders. "Kanchou, are you sure you can trust such a weapon, such a tool in the hands of someone like him? Are you certain about this?" Megumi stood, nearly tripping on her skirts and petticoats. "Are you sure this won't lead to yet another war, Kanchou? Temptation can be a very cruel succubus, you know."

Inez sat back and crossed her arms. "The Computer has been unlocked, Kanchou. It doesn't matter who does what with it anymore. It is now on it's own. No one can control it, not in the ways that scare you all. Besides," her gray-blue eyes caught Yurika's green, "We WERE planning on leaving here in the first place, yes?"

Ruri rubbed her pale lips with a hand. "Kanchou, I think we can trust him with the Computer." Rumiko, finally broken out of his frightened daze, glanced at the silver-haired princess of Peaceland. "Why do you say that?"

Ruri did not answer Rumiko. "Igadosu-san, isn't it true that Ninlan has had the same powerful weapons made by the Ancient Martians for centuries now, and done nothing with them?" The others gasped; they had forgotten this little tidbit of information. Igadosu nodded dumbly. "Yes, Ninlan has, Ruri."

Ruri glanced back at Yurika. "Subconscious trusting has always been your strong point, Kanchou. Don't let others' opinions stop you when they never have before." Yurika smiled at the girl. "Of course not. We'd be in a world more trouble without pure intuition, of everyone on the crew." She turned back to Mythos. "What is your answer to our offer, Lord Mythos?"

Mythos stroked his chin. "I must admit, it is quite tempting. And not for the weapon aspect that you are all afraid of. It is Ninlandish tradition to not meddle in the acts of others. We don't want war. But, the TST Calculator could prove beneficial, scientifically speaking. With the Martian Empire long gone, we could easily rise in scientific power this way. And for that, I accept your offer. I will immediately lift the Barrier permanently. If all people from Earth are so generous, we'd like to do business with them once again."

Cheers filled the chamber, and even Mythos smiled, happy with the decision he had made.

~*~

The others were proud of Yurika shrewd skills in getting the Barrier promised down, but some were just as skeptical when she told them what it cost. "The Jump Computer? Are we really giving up such a prize?" asked Akatsuki, his brown eyes obviously filled with the hunger for power.

But Yurika was firm. "Yes, Nagare. We were planning on getting rid of it anyway; this just gets us more in return. Think of it as, instead of donating and getting nothing, selling and getting a profit. You should be able to relate with that analogy, ne, Nagare?" she asked, prodding him with her elbow.

Akito and Gai looked at each other, and feigned yawns. "Oh, we're getting pretty sleepy. How about we hit that bath house Miss Fressange mentioned, get some dinner, and go to bed?" suggested Akito, obvious ulterior motives tugging at his kind smile to make it a slight smirk.

"Baka Akito! You just want to get laid!" announced Hikaru, as if the others really cared. The redhead put her hands on her hips and started to count how many people would be getting sex tonight. 'Izumi and Miss Fressange will, I can see it in their eyes, Akito and Gai-chan will, I can see it in their smiles, and Akatsuki and Yurika will definitely, I can see it in their groping.' She sighed. "Well, we might as well hit the hay early. We gotta walk back to camp in the morning and get going back to Somenolenthe by the day after tomorrow's night, so maybe we can get some stuff done before nightfall, ne, Kanchou?" she knew Yurika wasn't even listening. Igadosu, on the other hand, was. "Good plan. Too bad everyone is too… ahem… preoccupied to pay attention."

Hikaru crossed her arms behind her head. "Bah, must be something in the air or whatever."

~*~

The next morning found Izumi waking at the sound of raindrops in the window of her room in the inn. 'Dammit, we have to walk through that? Oh well. Gai's gonna be pissed though…' Izumi stretched out, still lying down, like a cat, yawning at the same time. She paused to run a hand through her hair. 'Yuck, I must look disgusting. Not to mention I'm wearing nothing but this shirt I found in the dresser here…' She finally sat up to find that Inez had taken all the covers during the night, and had wrapped herself in a little cocoon. Izumi rolled her visible eyes. "Amazing what kind of quirks you can find in someone once you're a regular visitor to their bed…" she whispered, pulling on some of the blankets as she climbed off the bed and walked over to Inez's side. "Ohayou, Inez. Time to get up, we gotta get going back to camp and such." Inez didn't move. Izumi sighed, then tugged the blankets some more. "Inez, come on now, it wasn't that much of rigorous work last night, get up, will you?" More tugging, still no moving. "Fuck, Kanchou's gonna be pissed… WAKE UP!" Nothing. Izumi's blue eyebrows knit. "Inez, are you okay?" 'She couldn't possibly sleep through all of that, could she?' Izumi finally pulled all the sheets and blankets away from Inez's body.

And she shrieked in despair and fright, for Inez's body was stiff, fairly cold, and very pale to say the least.

~*~

TBC…

~*~

A/N: Okay, I know you're all going to freak, but this is what the cliffhanger is, and that's what you've been blessed with. Don't kill me please! Trust me, if I say anything about it now, you'll shoot me even more for spoiling it for you. Anyway. Okay, what happened this time, other than that little incident at the end? Description is something that I'm not very good at, but I'm rather happy with how I did this one. And lots of debating with Mythos. He's a bitch, isn't he? XD Anyway, what do I predict for next time? The explanation for the last incident, of course, and more traveling back, not to mention theories about the incident. Also, we may hear from Magus no baka again, so I'd keep clear and watch for the next one. I know I probably already took a long enough vacation, but I want some time to gather my thought and ideas on this raping of the plot, since we're entering a slow fast-paced area of the story. (Yes, that made sense in my head, dammit.) Until next time, keep your butts on the edges of those seats, because slow fastness is fun! ^^ Later! 


	17. The roles have switched

A/N: Okay, despite popular belief (AKA: Shadow brought this to my attention as an unconnected reader), INEZ IS NOT FREAKING DEAD, DAMMIT. I know I said there would be death in this, oh well, this isn't it. Anyway. Yeah, there was lots of insanity with descriptions last time, ne? I think it worked pretty well. Anyway. Last time? Descriptions up the ass, debating, mostly between Mythos no baka and Yurika, but yeah. And of course, that latest incident. Well, almost all about that will be explained, so… Okay, finally, what do I predict this time? Hmmm… Well, explanation on Inez's falling, Magus whining like the whiny bitch he is (always insisting on FRESH bagels at five in the morning, pfft), and back on normal schedule of random characterizations. In future? Hmm, I predict more chapters to this story than the last, but on length, we may have to wait and see. Because we're coming up on the climax soon and fast, faster than I expected, not to mention that it won't be just a climax, it'll drag itself farther than it should, and all, you know. Whatever. Anyway, just keep your eyes and ears open, because some (obvious) foreshadowing will be taking place, so, um, whatever. Let's get going, ne? I think I've yapped long enough…

~*~

'Pulse rate, normal for one sleeping. Breathing, also normal for one sleeping. Internal injuries, none. External injuries, none.' Ruri opened her amber eyes and took a deep breath. "I can't find anything physically wrong with her, Kanchou, Maki-san. No injuries, no sign of sickness, nothing." Izumi, sitting on a chair in the corner, continued to sob as Hikaru tried to hush her, and relayed Ruri's findings to her in a more kindly manner than the younger girl's.

Yurika thought for a moment. "Physically, nothing, ne? What about mentally? Did Mythos's Possession do something to her mind?" Ruri shook her head. "I cannot tell, Kanchou. I only work with the physical aspects. The mind confuses me." Akatsuki, also worried about Nergal's top scientist, furrowed his brow. "Why would Mythos's magic do something to her? I mean, I even share her type of magic, and I'M fine."

"Miss Fressange is not only from recent history, but ancient as well. Maybe that has something to do with it. Now hush, I'm trying to concentrate." Akatsuki's mouth clamped shut with Yurika's firm order as she closed her green eyes and inhaled, reaching for the pale silver mass inside her and coating her mental images of her hands with the ooze before reaching out to Inez's brain and, deeper still, her mind. What she found made her own eyebrows snap together. "A cage? No… a box. The hell? Why is she…" Yurika circled around the brightly shining silver box and touched it. The force that pushed back forced her to return to her normal state. "The hell was that?!"

Akito was concerned about his former girlfriend. He placed his hands on her shoulders. "The hell was what? Come on Yurika, we're going insane with wonder." Yurika bit her lip, and raised her hand from Inez's forehead. "Of course there's nothing physically wrong with her. She's… Her consciousness has been trapped in a big box, and I can't open it."

Igadosu furrowed his light brown, graying eyebrows. He stepped up to the plate. "Let me try, Misumaru-san." Yurika stood away and gave the old man some room. He took a deep breath and clamped his hand on Inez's forehead. Moments later, his eyes popped open and he yelped as he ripped his hand from her forehead. He covered his eyes and forehead, as if someone put a hot iron on them both. After a few seconds, his pain subsided and his breathing slowed. "Of course you can't open it, Misumaru-san. No one can. That box has been forged and locked by Magus himself." He looked up to his former apprentice, who stood before the kneeling man. "'And the prophecies state that the younger priest would imagine the woman, and the comet would fall, bringing an end to Magus and, in affect, our world.'"

Rumiko nodded slowly, beginning to understand. "The prophecy. My dream about Meg began the cycle, than the Nadesico felt to Ninlan and then-"

"Magus attacks Inez," sniffled Izumi. "He…" Hikaru shushed her, but stated what her best friend was trying to say, through her tears and frights. "He's scared, and trying to take us out, one by one."

Rumiko shook his head. "No. No, that's not the case, Hikaru. He's looking for a Host. Apparently, Lady Ai isn't who he wanted, but to stop her from working against him, he trapped her."

Megumi crossed her arms. "Then… why wouldn't he kill her?" Izumi hiccupped. Rumiko shrugged. "I don't know." Yurika sighed, then nodded. "Megumi, I want contact with Ryoko." Megumi, though not at her post, nodded as she punched in both Yurika and Ryoko's communication codes, linking them together faster than Yurika could have done on her own.

Ryoko's face appeared before Yurika's, and the sight was not a happy one. "Kanchou, pardon my asking, but where the hell are you? It's raining like fucking cats and dogs out here!" Yurika nodded. "I know, and I'm sorry, but we need you to come over here on your Aestivalis immediately. Just you."

Ryoko's dark eyebrows knit. "This close to the village? What if I scare someone?" Yurika shook her head, her blue violet hair flying. "Doesn't matter now. We've got accomplished what we needed. This is an EMERGENCY, Ryoko. We need you here now."

The scenery behind Ryoko's head was now moving as she sprinted to her Aestivalis. "Kanchou, what happened?" Yurika sighed, and glanced over to Inez, who still lay on the bed, but Gai and Akito were attempting to dress her in her uniform, so she wouldn't freeze in the giant robot. "Inez's unconscious, Ryoko." Ryoko's jaw dropped, and she stopped for a split second, then increased her pace up the ladder to her cockpit. "I'll be there in a few seconds. Meet me outside the outer wall." Yurika nodded and closed the window. Akito and Gai finished dressing the Martian woman and were now slinging her arms over their shoulders. Yurika nodded to the two of them, and they left immediately, heading unprotected against the rain, but uncaring.

Yurika adjusted her captain's hat, and took a deep breath. She then turned to what was left of her crew in the room. "I suppose till now this little cake walk on Ninlan has been exactly that. But now, it's obvious. We HAVE to go home, back to Earth, or there will be nothing left for us. This God is an angry one. And he doesn't like us. I don't think being on Earth will make more of a difference, but it will at least get us away from those who use his will as law."

Akatsuki was skeptical. "But could we manage a Jump back to Earth without Inez's help?" Yurika shot a glare in his direction. "We did last time. And we will this time. This whole time, she has held our hands in the Jumping arena, Akito and I. This time, it's up to us. Last time it wasn't really required of the both of us, I know that. But this time, if we don't Jump us back, we're screwed."

Izumi looked at her with crimson eyes, accented by the flushing of her usually pale face. "Who cares about that now, Kanchou? We'll get home eventually. What matters now is getting back to the Nadesico and fixing Inez before Magus decided it's her time to die, don't you see?" She hiccupped again, and Hikaru patted her back, lifting her out of the chair. Hikaru had long since coaxed Izumi into her more decent uniform, and thus Hikaru led her out of the room, out of the inn, into the soggy town, following after the two men, who had already traveled through No Man's Land and reached the outer wall, where Ryoko's red Aestivalis stood like a guard.

~*~

Damn it! Damn it! Damn it all to Hell! Curse My minion, he pointed out the wrong one! I didn't want Ai, she isn't in enough anguish to raise her strength, nor will she be in the near future. Damn it!

Well, it isn't a total loss. By her own magic being brought to the light, I WAS able to trap her in My box, the box I usually use for those I will be Possessing for long periods of time. Though she is not of much use in that sense, at least I can drain her energy from her. Yes. My rise will be my greatest yet, save for the one where I cunningly gained the strength of the Four of My own colleagues. But I doubt any rise of Mine will counter that one. Well, this one will at least be DELICIOUS. So much power within my grasp, and then so unknowing! But patience is the key, yes, patience. With patience I will drain enough strength from this one to rise before them, beat them down, and claim them as My own. Yes. No good ever came to one easily, or quickly. In My patience, I will relish My victory over these insignificant, yet highly amusing and powerful foes.

~*~

About two hours into the day's trip back to Somenolenthe, Hikaru beeped into Izumi's communications. "Are you all right now, Izumi?" Despite her being upset with them at the moment, she was concerned for her best friend. But, with the knowledge she had gained about her best friend over the years, she knew the girl needed someone to comfort her initially after a trauma, but then she wanted to be left alone and let to think. But also reminiscing on Izumi's latest trauma, the one with Rinji, Hikaru didn't want her doing anything drastic.

Izumi took a deep breath before answering, "Yes. For the most part." She had stopped crying an hour ago, but her pale skin around her crimson eyes still bared the glow of the rubbing she gave them while she was crying. But she was well composed; Hikaru could tell that. She was telling the truth: she was all right, for the most part.

Hikaru chose her words carefully; she wanted to get the ball rolling, but she needed that initial push to start it down the hill. "Do… you want to talk about it?" Unlike the girl in question, Hikaru respected the privacy of others' problems. Izumi figured, that if it bugged you enough to mention it, you have to talk about it, no matter how much you said no.

Izumi took a moment to consider, then nodded. Hikaru helped her when she was upset about Ken's death, and though she could quite reach her, she tried after Rinji died. "Yes." She took another deep breath to calm herself fully, then began. "Hikaru, I don't think I can take losing another one."

"Oh, Izumi…"

"Let me finish, dammit!" she snapped, but tried to regain her composure. "I mean, people always say, 'Third time's a charm', and so far, it has, Hikaru. It really has. But… what if third time isn't really a charm? What if she doesn't make it? Or, what if she's in a coma for the rest of her life? What if, she's a different person when she comes back? What if she d-"

"She won't, Izumi. She won't die. Don't even think it, it'll hurt much more, and you'll be worried and all flustered over nothing. None of that stuff will happen. When we get back to Somenolenthe, you'll see. Ruri and Rumiko will get to the bottom of it, and try to break it off. Everything will be okay."

Hikaru's positive attitude had never failed to raise Izumi's spirits; Hikaru never had many positive days, to begin with, but she was always ready to sweep the cloud of a rainy day away to let the happy sun shine through. Izumi smiled at her best friend. "Hikaru, you're fantastic."

"Yeah, I know."

~*~

Once Hikaru closed the communications window with Izumi, she sighed, as if she let go of something very heavy. Uribatake immediately knew it was her smile. "Getting difficult?" he asked. Hikaru turned her head a bit to look at him, then sighed, shaking her head. "No, I've been piloting for almost three years now. I'd ASSUME it gets easier."

"That's not what I meant…" Uribatake was sure she knew what he meant, but perhaps she didn't. The redhead giggled. "I know! I was just messing with you." She turned back to her full view of the late morning of the plains before them. The rain had long since stopped, but it was still cloudy, and fairly windy, judging by the tree's movements. Hikaru could also feel the tug, even in her Aestivalis, the urge to go out and fly with the gusts of air as they flowed through the atmosphere, pulling the cloud's as much as they could, but unable to move them for now.

"Well… after all this time, I suppose it is. Uri-P, do you know what people called Izumi in school, especially after Ken died?" She paused, but did not wait long enough for an answer. "They called her… Bad Luck," she answered her own question, using the English words for Izumi's nickname. "Until then, people respected her, looked up to her, idolized her. And she was quite popular. But when Ken died, she just… shut down. She didn't care much about her life anymore. She would only respond to me, and I was always around her to protect her as she protected me when we were children. But… when Rinji showed up, I was initially jealous. Very jealous. He rose Izumi's spirits more than I could, and I was her best friend. But time passed, and she soon fell in love with him. I came to accept that. As long as she was happy, I was happy. And then they planned to be wed, despite Akatsuki's family flipping out on them." Hikaru paused. "And then… he just died. Izumi had been left for the Angel of Death twice. At times, she wanted to seduce her into taking her life as well. But then, when Ryoko came back…" She stopped, seemingly unable to continue.

"She responded to Ryoko, but not you?" Uribatake guessed, but he was pretty sure he hit the nail on the head. Hikaru was quivering now, and she slammed a fist against her controller pad. "I couldn't help her, not when she needed me. And I tried, Aer, did I try. But it never ever helped. She always went to someone else." Hikaru sniffed, but pushed her tears back behind her eyes. "Here I was, supposed to be her best friend, and I was being pushed into the background. But," Hikaru's voice took a cruel tone, "that's what happens when your best friend is popular."

Uribatake couldn't reach her shoulder from behind the chair, but her could reach her head. "I understand. It's never easy when people seem to grow apart. I tried not to put too much emotion into my connections with people, so I could still get what I wanted, whether it be money, help, or, hell, sex, without all the bullshit. My best friend was Ayuko for a while, actually. But since we got married, it's been nothing but fighting. I don't seem to have a best friend, but that's all right with me. Because I can just leave without any regrets."

Hikaru furrowed her brow, but didn't turn to meet his eye. "What about Ariko-chan?" Uribatake took his hand off her head to scratch his chin. "Well, Ariko's like me when I was younger. I used to be left alone by my father a lot, and, with his royal parents, I'm sure he doesn't get all the chances of being a kid like everyone else. So… after this, I've offered him room and board at my house, if he doesn't want to go home."

"What about Ruri?"

"Well, Ruri can come stay with me too, I suppose. If she wants, that is. And if Kanchou or Tenkawa snag her away first."

Hikaru took a deep breath before unleashing the kicker. "What about me?" She braced herself for the disgusted answer she normally got, or the answer dripping with sarcasm.

Uribatake blinked. He should have seen this coming a mile away, but he didn't. The way she said it seemed forced, like it was prepared for any answer. "You, eh?" He paused to choose his words carefully. "Actually, I seem to connect with you on a personal level, more than Ayuko on our best days, even. I don't have to worry about boring you senseless with my rambling, nor do I have to worry about being insulting, or anything else. It's like… I can just let go, you know? I can honestly say that you're my best friend, Hikaru." He leaned over her chair to make sure she wasn't upset.

Hikaru turned and grinned at him. "That's great, Uri-P! I didn't think I would mean so much to you! Thank you!" Uribatake shook his head, laughing. "Just like a kid." Hikaru scrunched up her face at the remark. "You're so mean, Uri-P!" Then she also began to laugh.

~*~

It was late afternoon when Rumiko finally made his decision on what will be done in efforts to bring back Inez. As the sun began to set in the west, he leaned his head back, concentration still set on piloting the robot towards Somenolenthe. "Meg, I'd like to ask you a favor." Megumi, who was half-sleeping with boredom, jerked awake at the sound of her name. "What?" she asked, wiping her eyes and pushing her hair behind her ears.

"Personally, I'm not really sure it would work with you, but it never hurts to try…" Rumiko murmured, thinking about what he was about to ask Megumi. The American girl pulled herself to her feet, careful to not trip on her Ninlandish skirts. "What?"

"But maybe Meg being on the same psychic plane as me will help somewhat, and maybe make the fact that she's a non-mage not count…" Megumi fisted her hands on her hips. "WHAT?"

Her shout frightened Rumiko, and made him jump. He clamped his mouth shut to not curse until he regained his composure. "Meg, I'd like you to help me try to unlock the box that Lady Ai is trapped in." Megumi's blue eyes became wide with disbelief. "But… I thought only Magus could open it, since He locked it, and He's a God!" Rumiko blow a strand of hair out of his face. "That's what Igadosu believes, but I think it can be opened. And, I also think that Mythos had a hand in getting her trapped. Therefore, we could try to trace his signature on her, mostly around the box, and try to counter it." Rumiko smirked smugly, as if he was certain it would work.

"Okay, sounds like a plan, but why do you need me?" Rumiko sighed. "I'm a weak mage, Meg. I can't both check signatures and counter strong magic. It just won't happen. I'd either pass out, the favorable of the choices, or burst into flame." Megumi's jaw dropped. She couldn't believe that Rumiko could be so plain when talking about himself dying. The thought of the first person they met on Ninlan dying, before her eyes, no less, made her feel worthless and empty inside. "No…" she whispered before Rumiko began to tell her what he would need her to do.

"I'll have to cast a spell on you, but it won't be a bad one, just a useful one. It'll let you be able to sense signatures and see where magic has been used. Is that all right?" As Megumi nodded dumbly, he continued. "I'll have to have you tell me where you can find signatures, so I can counter the places. Is this agreeable?" Brought back to her senses, Megumi nodded, but was still concerned. "How am I supposed to find these signatures? I'm pretty sure I won't see people's names etched their magic, ne?" Rumiko chuckled. "No you won't. Signatures… you feel for them, and you can identify them because they trigger memories about the person, or certain things about the person that you can identify them with easily." Rumiko thought for a bit. "Example. If you were to trace Yurika-san's signature, you'd probably recognize her as your captain, or the color of her hair, or her uniform-"

"Or our rivalry," spat Megumi bitterly. She plopped back on the floor huffily. Rumiko's eyebrows knit, but he didn't dare take his eyes off the view screens. "Rivalry?" Megumi nodded. "During the war… Kanchou and I had a small rivalry going. She was in love with Akito, but I was too, so I thought. But then he turned us both down, for a man, no less!" Rumiko blinked. "Ninlan believes that homosexual relationships, like between Akito-san and Yamada-san, or Kazamo-san and Ryoko-san, or between Izumi-san and Lady Ai, are completely acceptable. Despite the fact that they do not reproduce, they are still a form of love all together. And besides, Magus Himself is partly homosexual as well. The legends hint that He may have had an attraction to Terra, though He was with Flamma."

Megumi shook her head. "I don't mind the fact that there are gay people on the ship anymore. As long as I don't see it, is the fact. But… Akito still isn't someone I'd like to be associated with anymore. He's childish, and though he has goals, they all lead to dead ends. I'd like to be with someone more mature, someone that knows what their doing with their life, someone…" she blushed and whispered, "from here…"

Rumiko's eyebrow twitched; he heard Megumi's last statement perfectly. He leaned into his control pads. "It's getting late. I suppose we'll be stopping soon."

~*~

And stop they did, for the night. However, there was a sense of slight anger in the air, or, rather, in the minds of the people on the trip. Slight mistakes and quirks were causing rage all over the camp, and Akito actually cursed out Mikako while cooking dinner, something he would normally never do.

Once fed, however, the feeling left the travelers. Well, most of them. Yurika still glared at the fire before her, as if everything that had happened was its fault. She caught snippets of everyone's conversations, and it just fed her intolerance.

"I won't cast the spell until we're in-" "Please, Inez, don't die on me…" "Stupid moon, I can't sleep with all this light." "Akito, I'm still hungry!" "Hey, are you okay?"

The last of them came from right next to her, and made her jump. She glared at the speaker, Akatsuki. He regarded her with concerned brown eyes. "You've been flinching ever since we set up camp. Anything wrong?" Yurika turned away from him, angry. "And what do you care?" Akatsuki's eyebrows knit. "You know I care, Yurika. I thought it was common knowledge." He reached over to lay a hand on her shoulder, but she whipped around, rage flaring in her green eyes. "Don't you touch me! Someone like you could never care for anyone, and you know it!" She crossed her arms defiantly, as if daring Akatsuki to retort, as he was so tempted to. But he took a deep breath, inhaling her subtle scent of mint to remind himself that this was Yurika he was talking to; he can't get testy with her. "Yurika, you've been working all day, and I think you should go get some rest or something, because I don't think you understand what sort of things you're saying," he suggested calmly, wondering if it was her time of the month or something.

Yurika glared down Akatsuki. "You think I don't know? It WAS an open communications channel, you know! And after all you said about love being something precious. I can't believe you!"

Akatsuki raised his hands in defense. "Yurika, what ARE you talking about?" Yurika poked him in the chest. "You and Izumi, Akatsuki Nagare! I heard you flirting with her! You were cruel to her, and then kind, kinder than I've ever seen you with me! Behind my back!"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, Yurika, you're blowing this way out of proportion. IZUMI messaged ME!"

"Oh, and this makes it okay?!? Nagare, I thought you cared about me!"

"I do! And that whole thing… Dammit, Yurika, she was almost my damn sister-in-law!"

Yurika had tears in her eyes now, but she still stood against him. "Nagare, that was cruel for you to do to me. I knew there would come a time when I wouldn't be good enough for you anymore, but you could have at least told me you didn't want me anymore." She sniffed, and raised a hand to her face to shield and wipe her tears. "I'm going to bed, Nagare. Alone. And I'd rather you no longer speak to me." She ran off, her hair and cape billowing behind her.

Akatsuki took one small step in her direction, then stepped back. 'She… she just broke up with me. I've never been the one dumped before.' He furrowed his brow and crossed his arms, trying to see where he went wrong. 'Perhaps… she wanted to see me cheat on her so much, that she saw my being civil with Izumi, for once, as flirting? Or maybe it wasn't so much that she wanted out as much as she didn't trust me. Well,' he thought with a cold chuckle, 'I never gave her any comfort in trusting me. I suppose THAT'S were this went wrong.' He frowned. Somehow, he imagined being left by someone to be more of a release, like a mousetrap on his neck had opened and he was still alive. But instead, it was like the mousetrap clamped down just then. He felt trapped, stuck, even dying, as something, his breath, even, was stolen from him. 'I never realized that losing someone you love this way would actually hurt, let alone this much.' His jaw dropped as he realized what his train of thought just whispered to his mind. 'I love her, don't I? No wonder… But me? Akatsuki Nagare? I don't fall in love. I use women and lose them. I'm a PLAYBOY, for crying out loud. But… amazing. I actually fell in love with her.' He smirked, but it was sad; like a little boy trying to smile after losing his favorite teddy bear. Because that's what he felt like.

~*~

TBC…

~*~

A/N: Oh I am so evil. ^^ Before you ask, last chapter, yes, Yurika and Akatsuki did have sex, but she was just using him. Pet resembles the owner, remember? Anyway. Okay, how was this? Explanation about Inez, and random characterization that fit the plot, relationship building, and stuff. ^^ Aren't I evil? How many of you want me dead, come on, tell me. All righty, what do I predict for next time? More of the same, I guess, and Hikaru making a certain statement that will set the stage for the climax. ^^ Whee! This is going QUITE well. How was this? Again, who should I be looking over my shoulder for? Anyway, I'll see you all next time, and don't forget, a little R and R always does people good~! ^^


	18. Let's recap

A/N: Whee, I was evil, wasn't I? ^^ Oh come on, did you really think I'd let them last? While the climax running up and hitting hard soon? Of course not. ^^ Besides, I'm trying to show you that, even if I don't like the character, I can still write for them like everyone else. ^^ Anyway, what happened last time, BESIDES Akatsuki and Yurika breaking up? Well, Inez was proven alive and such, people did characterization stuff. What happens this time? More of the same. Gomen nasai! But something has turned, ne? People have to talk to other people… But I promise that by the end of the chapter, another piece in the setting for the end will be put into play. Not a very significant piece, but a piece nonetheless. And they'll finally get home! Well… when, in this situation, where home equals Somenolenthe. ^^;;; Anyway, let's see what people have to say about recent events!

~*~

Finally! I found the Messenger I wanted for my domination. Granted, I am a bit disappointed in the strength of this one, but it's all right. It's workable. And I've decided in My kindness to give them an advantage. I'll wait until they get back to Somenolenthe to charge out and destroy them. Yes, this victory will be precious, and it must not be rushed. Many pieces must fit together first for the fall of these to be in My benefit, more than would be thought of. Yes…

I will keep hold on this dark green thread that I have found, and hold it until I can use what it's connected to.

~*~

The next morning, Hikaru was greeted by a message from Ryoko. "Hikaru… I'm really sorry about this, but I have to say SOMETHING." Hikaru blinked, and immediately connected to the tomboy pianist. "Say what, Ryoko?"

Ryoko bit her lip. It was one thing to admit to Izumi how jealous of Hikaru she was. It was another to say it to the person in question. "Well, Hikaru… This may be hard to understand, but…" she paused to take a breath, willing herself to tell the redhead her feelings. "I'm jealous of you, Hikaru. On so many levels."

Hikaru didn't realize for a full minute that her jaw was hanging open. She quickly closed it and swallowed, still trying to absorb the statement Ryoko dealt her. "You… YOU'RE jealous of ME? What for?" Ryoko glared at her. "Well, let's see. Your family life is better than mine, you're a better pilot, a better mage, and you have set plans for the future, whereas I don't."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, back it up! First of all, you and I BOTH know my family life SUCKS! Remember, I lived with Grandmother, the one person I know that hated me because of my father!"

"'Tousan was downright rude to me!" Hikaru sighed. "Ryoko, you know you're just upset about something else and just becoming depressed. Stop it! And you're the better pilot and you know it! I don't care who says Akito-chan is the Nadesico ace, it's not true because YOU'LL always be the Nadesico ace pilot. And just because I can work my Aestivalis well doesn't mean anything. I have absolutely NO leadership skills, WHATSOEVER. And where I lack them, you have tons of them. THAT'S what makes you a great pilot, Ryoko." Hikaru glared right back at the Quakist in the window, scrunching up her nose. "And it doesn't matter if I'm a better mage. Everyone's better at something than everyone else. I can't cook, and Akito can, but I'm sure as hell a better writer than him. And Jun's a better writer than me, but he sucks ass at piloting. Do you see what I'm saying?"

At Ryoko's slow, embarrassed nod, Hikaru continued, "And plans for the future, hah! The only plan I have so far is being a mangaka, and I KNOW that won't be very successful at all, especially at first. But you, you could be a freelance pilot, or an instructor, or, hell, a pianist!"

Ryoko sighed. "I know, I was just being foolish, I know. And I know I have the affections of a beautiful woman, before you bring her up." Hikaru closed her mouth, as that was her next argument. "The thing is… I'm just so used to everyone thinking I was the best, that when something else comes up, and someone else is better at it, I feel jealous, you know?"

Hikaru nodded. "We all do, Ryoko." Ryoko shook her head. "No. It's like… if I'm not the best, I'm not good enough." Hikaru glared at her again. "Ryoko, that's your damn father talking!"

Ryoko furrowed her dark brows. "Do… you really think so?" Hikaru nodded angrily. "I thought you were done letting him rule your judgment! As much as you hate him, and hating him telling you that you weren't good enough, his damn words are coming out of your mouth!" She softened her tone. "You're giving in to him, Ryoko. You told us you'd never do that. Don't go back on your word now, when you need to think the best of yourself."

Ryoko nodded, hearing the same words she had just said in her ears, in her father's voice. "My Terra, Hikaru. Why didn't I see it? He… he made me look horrible in my own eyes, and I tried to peg it on you." Hikaru nodded. "Because I'm just so perfect in everyway." She giggled.

Ryoko rolled her eyes, I can still kick your ass, Hikaru." Hikaru stuck her tongue out. "That's not saying much. A lot of people could kick my ass."

~*~

Yurika was message directly from Jun, no attempts to be courteous at all. "All right Yurika, spill it. I've been hearing all sorts of rumors about you and Akatsuki, from you guys broke up, to him getting caught admiring Minato's breasts, to you suddenly finding that he's a transvestite, to him asking you to have a threesome with Akito or something. What's the real story?" Yurika was impressed. "Wow, the rumors have evolved that much, that fast? Well done." This did not set off Jun at all. "Don't avoid the subject. Talk."

Yurika sighed. "Well, you heard right." Jun's jaw dropped. "You mean Akatsuki really IS a transvestite that has been hounding you for a threesome and got caught ogling Minato, so you broke it off with him?" Yurika giggled. "No, that's all wrong. I DID break up with him though." Jun cocked his head. "What for?"

Yurika thought about how she could explain this; she didn't even know exactly how it happened. "Well, a few days ago, he was very kind to Izumi. Kinder than I've ever seen him with anyone, even me. So I guess I got upset, and yelled at him, and broke up with him." Jun's knit his eyebrows. "Didn't you, like, do things in Carmina with him?" He wasn't happy when he initially heard this, but he accepted it. But he also knew the incident with Izumi happened BEFORE they got to Carmina.

Yurika nodded. "I guess… it was me giving him one more chance or something. Or, hell, I might have even used him for sex. I don't know." Jun considered this. It was true, she had been a lot more cruel and cold since the start of her relationship with Akatsuki. Maybe that old saying about the pet resembling the master applied a lot more in this case than originally considered. "So, when you asked him about Izumi, what did he say?" Yurika frowned. "He said that she was practically his sister-in-law, but…" Yurika sighed again. "Who knows. Maybe I'm in the wrong here, but isn't it my place to leave him if I can't trust him?" Jun tapped his chin. "Well, then, maybe the act of breaking up wasn't wrong, but maybe the direction. Perhaps you could have been a bit nicer about it?"

Yurika scoffed. "Why should I have? You and I both know he doesn't care. I was just an easy lay. And besides, once he was done with me, he would have left me too, and gone on to the next willing woman and used her." Yurika sniffed snobbishly. Jun had to agree; Akatsuki wasn't someone you wanted to be known to trust, because breaking it seemed to be his best talent.

~*~

It appeared the communication lines were getting much use before lunch. About a half hour before the scheduled stop, Yukina decided that Ariko couldn't hide in the pink Aestivalis, far ahead of Jun's black Aestivalis, any longer. She beeped him, unmannerly, and instantly connected to him. "What're you doing, Ariko-chan?"

Ariko jumped a bit; he HAD been reading on of the technical manuals Uribatake wanted him to read on this trip. "Reading, why?" Yukina shrugged. "Nothing really. Just bored. Minato's reading too, and Jun's being boring right now. So I decided that I'd talk to you!" She smiled broadly at the prince, though his position had been long since forgotten.

Ariko closed his book slowly; he wouldn't get any reading done if Yukina wanted to talk to him. Especially if Yukina wanted to talk to him. "Well, what do you want to talk about, Yukina?" Yukina knew exactly what she wanted to talk about. "Where are you gonna go when we get to Earth, Ariko-chan?" Ariko knew the answer; he just didn't really want to say it. "Probably go back to Peaceland with Oneesama and Omoikane." Yukina bit her lip. "Where IS Peaceland, anyway?" Ariko opened up a window showing a map of Europe. "It used to be known as Denmark." He indicated its location to Yukina on the map, then closed it.

Yukina's jaw dropped. "What? You mean if I want to visit you when we get to Earth, I have to travel across the freaking world!?" Ariko was confused. "You'd want to visit me?" Yukina nodded. "Sure! You're the only person around my age that makes any sense around here!" She made a fake sniffle. "And I'm gonna be living in Tokyo!"

Ariko bit his lip. "But I don't know if I want to go to Peaceland… I might go stay in Japan with Uribatake-san, like when we were on the run, or something…" Not that he knew what something was, mind you. Yukina clapped a hand to her developing chest. "You can come stay with us if you want! Ne, Minato?" Minato smiled and nodded. "Sure, I don't see why not." Ariko smiled. "I'd like that very much, but there is a good chance I'll go back to Peaceland, you know."

Yukina sighed. "I know… I just…" Ariko cocked his head. "What, no teasing me today?" By the look on her face, Ariko was glad she was in another Aestivalis, because she might have slugged him.

~*~

Gai was trying to eat his lunch when Akito fell on him. "Gerk! 'Kito! Get off me!" Akito grinned at his boyfriend and lover. "Give me one good reason why I should." He then shifted so it was more comfortable for the both of them, and Gai forgot his reason. "Um… I don't have one?" Akito laughed. "I figured." Gai offered his bowl to Akito. "Want some?" Akito shook his head. "No. Miss How Mei's saying: 'You cook, you eat.' In other words, we eat off everyone else's plates as we cook for them." Akito grinned.

Gai rolled his eyes. "What's with you today? You're all smiles, and that's a big change for you." Akito frowned at him. "Haven't you heard? Akatsuki and Yurika broke up! The big fat loser is out of her life now!" He stretched, but fell backwards and off of Gai. "Ow."

Gai frowned. "What does that have to do with you?" Akito shrugged, but did not try to get up. "Nothing really. I just don't like seeing her with someone so…"

"Ruthless? Heartless? Perverted?" Gai suggested. Akito slugged him in the arm, pulling himself up. "Hey, she seems to have a thing for perverted guys. I mean, hell, I went with her." Gai snorted. "And we all know how perverted you can get. Or maybe it's her that makes men perverted. Ah well. Who knows." Akito rolled his eyes, but was still thoughtful. "You remember yesterday morning, Gai-chan?" Gai didn't answer, because the answer was obvious. It would be quite some time before they forgot the incident yesterday.

Izumi's scream had woken most of the inn, but those who thought they recognized the shriek, or at least the room it came from, had run in, in their nightclothes. Izumi had been shaking, and looked more pale than normal, if possible. Yurika had been the first of them to will herself to see what had made the normally calm girl wail so. She immediately had begun ripping at the blankets that had circled the Martian doctor. She had motioned for Ruri to come over, but even the computer operator had been stunned. She had never seen someone truly look so close to death. Even Tsukumo had at least a warm smile before his death. Inez had looked sickly, as if her whole life had held on by a thread.

It wasn't a sight any of them wanted to see again.

"What about it, 'Kito?" asked Gai, pushing the images out of his mind. Akito knew that this wasn't a happy subject, but there was something that he had an idea about that he had to get someone's opinion on. "Well, Rumiko said Magus was looking for someone, and He found Miss Fressange. But since Miss Fressange isn't the one He was looking for, He trapped her in a box, right? Well, who's almost like Miss Fressange, magically?" Gai furrowed his brow. "Akatsuki is the only other gravity… what're you saying, Akito?"

Akito looked at him incredulously. "Isn't it OBVIOUS? Magus was trying to get Akatsuki!"

Gai still didn't understand. "But why would he need to?" That, sadly, Akito couldn't answer.

~*~

About ten minutes later, Akito came over to where Ryoko sat alone. "Hey, Ryoko, where's Itsuki?" Ryoko shrugged. "She said she wanted to go practice her magic, but she refuses to do it around me after her little accident." Akito raised an eyebrow as he plopped down next to the tomboy that once sought his affections. "Accident?" Ryoko nodded. "Yeah, a while ago we went on a little date, remember." Akito smirked. Itsuki had gone to a lot of work to win Ryoko back for good. "Yeah, what about it?"

"Well, she sang to me, and she accidentally cast a spell on me." Akito winced. "Ouch. How bad was it?" Ryoko shrugged. "Not bad at all, actually, it was like zoning out and not being able to come out of it. Not that I wanted to or anything, actually. But she FLIPPED it. She was all upset and such… and now she refuses to let me listen to her play music until she gets herself under control." Akito raised an eyebrow again. "She brought her violin?" Ryoko nodded. "She needs SOMETHING to do during these breaks, and she wants to be completely controllable, since her accident."

"Understandable. But where does that leave you?" Ryoko fell back against the rock she leaned against. "Bored senseless." Akito giggled, and the obvious act of feminism from the Martian made Ryoko take her turn to raise a black eyebrow. "And how are things going between you and Gai, eh?"

Akito blushed and grinned. "Pretty good, actually." Ryoko rolled her eyes. "You finally had sex, didn't you?" Akito nodded quickly. "Yup!" Ryoko regarded him. "Hmm… Okay, I'm stumped. Did you top it or bottom it?" Akito sighed. "Bottomed it." Ryoko laughed heartedly. "And I'm not surprised!"

Akito growled under his breath. "What's that supposed to mean?" Ryoko rolled her eyes. "Please. I'm only IMPLYING that little Akito-chan was found out long before he figured it out himself. Besides," she shrugged, "Itsuki and I switch."

Akito was confused. "Whoa, whoa, whoa, what? You did what?" Ryoko nodded. "You heard me, Tenkawa. I knew you were gay, or at least bi, before we found that Daigoji was actually alive." Akito looked at her in disbelief. "How? Hell, I didn't know until-"

"Yeah, yeah. Well, I figured it out on Tenician Island, remember? You were ranting about how you had to care about Gekiganger, the only reason you fell for that crazy Aqua girl, because otherwise Gai would die in your heart. Remember now?"

Akito's jaw dropped. He had been completely incoherent at the time, and had been rambling because he felt drunk because of that damn paralyzing powder getting to his head. "Aqua… Shit, Ryoko, you'd damn good."

Ryoko smirked. "I know."

~*~

The second person on Jun's conversation roster had walked himself far into the woods to think. Jun did not like trees, especially after walked through them in his Aestivalis for the past few days, and now walked through them with his own legs. "Damn trees…" He found Akatsuki in another clearing, this one with a river. "Wow… This one would've been better for camp, aesthetically anyway." Akatsuki turned at the voice of the shorter man. "Something for you?" he asked calmly.

Jun entered the clearing, and leaned against a tree. "I've gotten half the story from Yurika. Now I want the other half." Akatsuki chuckled cruelly. "And why should I give it to you?" Jun had to admit, he didn't really know why he wanted Akatsuki to tell him the tale of his and Yurika's breakup. Before, it had been to find out how much he should murder the CEO of Nergal. But, after hearing Yurika's side, and how cold she made Akatsuki sound, he was sure something was up.

"Because I'm trying to be a nice guy. Does that bother you?" Akatsuki raised his hands in defeat. "No, not at all. I'm just a little surprised that someone actually gave a damn." Jun furrowed his brow. "Just to clear the record, I don't give a damn. I just want to get the story out of the horse's mouth, and not from Megumi or Minato."

Akatsuki nodded, "Fair enough." He cleared his throat. "She got upset with me setting this right with Izumi, thinking that because I told her I forgive her, I'm automatically sleeping with her behind Yurika's back." Jun had figured as such. The breakup was a little spontaneous, even for Akatsuki and Yurika. "So, she got upset, and decided I wasn't good enough for her anymore. Case closed, the end." His tone had grown bitter as he told his side fully, and Jun couldn't help commenting on it. "No, not the end. I can tell in your voice. Something… Did she say something that angered you?"

"Aoi, cut the crap. It's obvious. The whole SITUATION upset me." Akatsuki's gaze went to the water. "I realized that it's no fun being left, dumped, broken up with." Jun sighed, rolling his dark blue eyes. "So you got a taste of your own medicine."

"That's not it, Aoi." Akatsuki wrapped his arms around himself. "At first, it was a physical thing. I was merely attracted to her for her body. Of course, her tactical mind is what got her the job of captain, but I chose her, you know. But, I guess it grew into something else. It went from lust to love in less than a month." He sighed.

Jun reciprocated the sigh. "Dammit, why is it that everyone and their damn brother has to have the hots for Yurika!?" Akatsuki laughed. "Why did Akito have almost everyone girl on the ship wanting him? Why does Doctor Fressange have many men and women wanting her hand at Nergal? I swear, these Martians have pheromones like you wouldn't believe!" Jun blinked. "Is that really what it is?"

Akatsuki shrugged. "Who knows." He walked over to Jun and held him against the tree he was leaning against. "No matter what it is, Aoi, I want you to do me a favor. Promise me that you'll be her knight of shining armor. She only has you here for her now. Make sure no one does anything to her." Akatsuki's closeness unnerved Jun; he could easily kill him now with none the wiser. Akatsuki let him go, however, and Jun was finally able to breathe after Akatsuki left the clearing. Shaking his head to get his bearings, he glared at the river. "Damn it. I am NOT bi." With that, the fire mage stomped back to camp, angry with himself for almost giving in to the gravity mage's charms, even if they weren't intentionally pointed at him.

~*~

No real incidents happened between the end of lunch and the beginning of dinner. At least, none that were important enough to be recorded. However, with the last meal of the day, came weariness that would not be succumbed to until the travelers made it to their destination, which wasn't very far away at this point, and a subject that could no longer be ignored.

Rumiko had an over-scheduling problem. He had to teach Megumi how to see magic and how to detect signatures, but he also had to teach not only his normal class, but Inez's as well, since she fell ill. Add this to trying to figure out how to cure Inez, and this proved for a very full day. He rubbed his temples at the mere thought of the workload. It was going to be hell from now on. "Magus's Buttocks…" he swore under his breath, trying to be discreet, but knowing that Megumi probably heard it.

And she did. Meg narrowed her eyes at the man. "What's wrong?" Rumiko sighed. "Maybe I'm a little in over my head. I have absolutely no idea how I'm going to juggle your lessons, my regular students' lessons, Lady Ai's students' lessons, and work with you to unlock her box." Megumi winced; it did seem like a lot. "No doubt. Maybe you can ask Igadosu-san for help?" Rumiko shook his head. "This is my responsibility. You all have become my responsibility and, though it becomes a bit difficult at times, I don't want to surrender that duty to anyone else, even for a little help."

"Ano… Rumiko-san?" The last person Rumiko expected to see was Hikaru, but she was there. "I could take over teaching for you. At least, with our clowns, while you can concentrate on Meg and Miss Fressange." Rumiko glared at her. "Hikaru-san, you're not finished with your training, and therefore, you're incapable of teaching." Hikaru fisted her hands on her hips. "Miss Fressange said I was done, and I know all the basics from what I've read before and been taught by the two of you! I'm perfectly capable!" Rumiko rubbed his temples again. "Fine, whatever you wish. But don't come crying to me if something goes wrong." Hikaru glared at him. "Nothing WILL go wrong."

~*~

Four hours later, at nearly ten at night, the Aestivalises finally pulled into the plain between the woods where the ship was hidden and the town that had become a sight for sore eyes to the people who didn't even live there.

The Ninlandish men, and the American woman were dropped off near the town, and walked back to their houses, Megumi following into Rumiko's house. The other Aestivalises left Rumiko's vermilion one near the town, too tired at this point to care about whether or not the townspeople would freak out.

Ruri's first order of business was to get Inez into the infirmary. She had to enlist the help of Uribatake and Goat to do as such, but they left the infirmary to go to bed after Inez was laying on one of the hospital beds. She closed her eyes and held both of her hands over Inez's heart, not seeing the bright white light that came out of her symbols. 'Pulse rate, normal, but a bit fast. Breathing, steady. Still no sickness or injury, but some signs of hunger.' Her eyes flew open. Of course Inez was hungry, she hadn't eaten since the night before her fall!

Going to the storage closet, she found an empty IV bag and a package of intravenous nutrients, also known as "Coma Food" by Miss Fressange. She poured some water into the bag, opening the package with her teeth. She slowly poured the contents of the package into the bag, watching the powder dissolve until the package was empty. Then, she closed the IV bag up and shook it, to help the dissolving process along. Going back into the main room of the infirmary, Ruri found an IV stand and some needles and tubes. She made short work of connecting everything together, but the kicker was actually putting the needle in Inez's arm. Sweat beading on her pale forehead, she slowly pushed the needle into Inez's inner elbow, willing the blood to not flow out of the small cut until she could put tape on it.

Admiring her work, she wiped the sweat from her forehead. For the first time since learning of her power, she actually believed she had something going for her with it.

~*~

TBC…

~*~

A/N: I'm aware that it wasn't quite as long as we usually expect, but certain things have to happen next time that just CANNOT happen here. Things like Rumiko stuff, Hikaru stuff, and random other relationship crud, not to mention the kicker of the story, that will lead to events that are in the climax. I know, it seems like a lot of pieces, right? Well, there are a lot of pieces involved. Such is magic on it's own. And it seems I've already told what'll happen next time, so how did you all like this one, eh? I admit, I'm not exactly happy with some of these bits, but hey. This chapter is annoying to say the least. In the middle of important things, nothing special capable in this one. Next one will end a lot more… cliff-hanger-y, though. ^^ That's just because I'm an evil bastard. ^^ Anyway, keep a look out for next time and remember: Reviews equal Inflated ego equals Faster chapters! Anyway, till next time, later!


	19. Last chance to rest

A/N: Okay, I admit, last chapter was spit out a bit fast. Oh well. Anyway. No notes to response on the last one? Amazing. Mostly because I haven't GOTTEN any responses to the last one. Oh well. No biggie. Okay then, recap. Aftermath of Akatsuki and Yurika breaking up, stuff, and other stuff… and then finally made it back home, er… when home equals Somenolenthe. ^^;; Okay, easy enough. This time, what do I see here? *checks whiteboard* Rumiko and Meg do stuff with signatures, relationship stuff, Hikaru's first lesson, teaching, that is… more relationship stuff, and angsty stuff… and then something that will be very predictable, but very shocking. Whee! Okay, since we know what happened and what's going to happen, let's get started!

~*~

Megumi gnawed on her lip as she watched Rumiko kneel before her from her perch in her bed-chair, make a prayer motion, and begin chanting odd words that she had no idea what they meant. It was unnerving enough seeing the man of her dreams, literally, on his knees before her. It was another for him to be praying for her and casting a spell on her. But the next incident threw all the others out the window, like yesterday's trash.

A slight silver flicker was seen at his hands, draining slowly towards Meg. She had never actually seen the colors of the crew's magics, as everyone else had, but now she could see them plainly, as they faded into her vision slowly. She looked at her own hands, but there was nothing. She could feel a tingle all over her body where there was silver light, but it was when there was a tingling on her face and behind her eyes that she was sure something was going on.

Rumiko opened his eyes and stopped chanting. He stood slowly, letting his magic flow back into the stores in his own body. "Can you see, now, Meg?" Megumi knew he didn't mean physically see, since she hadn't closed her eyes through the whole thing. Why would she not be able to see? No, she knew he meant magically see; which was getting easier by the minute. She nodded. "You had this silver glow about you, but it's gone now…" she trailed off as she looked into the room. "Wow," she whispered. Rumiko's one room house had seemed a little bland and boring before, but now it was BEAUTIFUL. Lights of all colors danced around the room, as if locked in place and wanting out, but not wanting to leave. As if they were parading around, showing themselves off, and wanting to stand out from the crowd, but not having enough energy to do so. Megumi turned to Rumiko, still in awe of the spectral light show that seemed never-ending, and probably was. "And you see this all the time?"

"Unfortunately, yes." Megumi glared at the copy mage, and he winced under her gaze. "How could you get sick of it? It's so wonderful…" Rumiko sighed. "Ever tried sleeping and seeing those? It's like sleeping in the sun. It's a wonder how your crew mages can sleep on your ship. It's ten times brighter! Not that they seem them all the time, as I do, but that is my plight for being Magus's Calm." He sighed again. Megumi rolled her eyes. "Enough pity party, all right? You're right, the silver ones are getting a little bright, is there anyway to tone it down?" Rumiko nodded. "Just force the lights with your mind to stop glowing so brightly." Megumi nodded; sounded easy enough. She closed her eyes for a moment and willed the light to tone down. She immediately imagined a light bulb, at first very bright, then being turned down. When she opened her eyes again, it worked. She grinned at Rumiko, who winced again.

She narrowed her eyes. "Why do you keep doing that?" Rumiko walked over to the sink and picked up his silver-backed mirror, and held it in front of her face. Megumi gasped; her eyes were glowing with a silver light. She glanced at him. "Why don't you tone it down, as well?"

"Doesn't work well with spells and magical acts that have just been cast. The brightness of the spell tells how old they are. It took you a while to realize that the lights in here are pretty bright, but that's because they aren't very bright, no matter how annoying they can be. They're a few days, or at most, a few weeks old. But spells that have just been cast are horrendously bright and don't fade with concentration as well as ones that have weakened over time." Megumi nodded. "Makes sense."

Rumiko clapped his hands together. "Well, since you've seemed to get the hang of dimming and seeing, let's get started checking for signatures, all right?" At Megumi's nod, Rumiko's pale hand wrapped around her more flesh colored wrist. 'An odd contrast,' she mused, 'as if I'm not the naïve one here.' To her surprise, he led her towards his fireplace, the very place that served as his stove.

"The fireplace?" Rumiko nodded. Megumi raised a purple eyebrow at him. "And why is it blue? Shouldn't it be red, from Jun?" Rumiko sighed and shook his head. "This is your first try. Touch where you see blue and try to let go of your thoughts. Things about a certain person will pop up, and THAT is their signature." Megumi nodded and complied, placing one of her small hands on the brick.

It was difficult trying to empty her mind. Things that had nothing to do with people came up, such as the fact that her blanket that she slept with was still in the wash, and Rumiko still hadn't had lunch. Instead, she decided to think about blackness, darkness, the night. She imagined the blackness, and focused on it, letting it become something her mind could reach easily.

She felt the edges of her mouth go up as blue flowed into the black. It held the same light as the magical indicators all over the room, and on the brick she know touched. She let the blue flow over her vision; she already knew it would be bad and mess it all up if she focused on it. Instead, she let it flow, until it seemed to take a solid quality.

Dark blue hair, a brilliant color unmatched through the whole ship. Sure, Jun and Sayuri had dark blue hair, but theirs was much darker. Only Junko's was the same in color, but hers was far too short. This person's hair was long, very long. Even her bangs were long. They covered one side of a lovely, elegant, pale face, covered on crimson eye and let the other fend for itself in a world of pain.

"Izumi," blurted out Megumi, immediately. Rumiko nodded, smiling. "Perfect. What did you see? The incidents when she put out my fire by tipping the kettle over?" Megumi shook her head. "No. I saw… her hair, and then her face." Rumiko thought this over. "Hmm. Perhaps, since it's someone you know, the signature is capable of showing itself in one's identity in appearance or something related, instead of the incident in which the magic was put there. Impressive." He pointed out an area away from the fireplace, on the table. It was dark, as if burned, but there was an overhanging of red. "Try this one."

Megumi put her hand on the spot and found the blackness in the back of her mind again. As she waited for the magic on the table to seep into her inner vision, she slowed her breath, as if she were about to go to sleep. Sure enough, the red flared in, and she was taken away by a memory, but she was sure this wasn't her memory.

Pain. Absolute pain. Pain that could not be comprehended in a few words. Hurt by one's own parents, the people who were supposed to love him, but did not. They did not strike him physically, but mentally and emotionally. He was never good enough, no matter how hard he tried. But his father found his poems, sad poems, morbid poems, and, in more recent years, love poems. His father called him a pansy, told him he'd never amount to anything, that writing was a waste of time. Why should he bother? Red, red, red. Red was a good color. It was the color of the fire that burned his papers now. Fire was his friend. He had never been burned, but he was careful, because fire was a friend with a bite. Red was a good color. He laid his razor, his small razor that his parents hadn't found in the search of his room, on his arm and struck. The hot sensation of the red blood was ecstasy. It was a release to the pain they caused him. No one would hurt him if he had blood and fire. Everything about him screamed blue, blue, blue. His family name, his hair, his eyes. But blue didn't comfort him, help him when he needed it. Red was the way, the perfect way to happiness. Red was love.

Megumi's eyes popped open and she covered her mouth with the hand that was digging into the table. "Oh God… How horrible…" Rumiko prompted her, "Well?"

"Aoi Jun." With her blue eyes still shining at the edges with silver, her tears were unable to be hidden. She wiped them away, however. "It was… horrific, Rumiko." Rumiko nodded slowly, thoughtful. "You experienced one of his emotional memories, didn't you?" At Megumi's nod, Rumiko sighed. "Well, it's without a doubt. You are psychic. Extensively so. But…" Rumiko sat down at the chair next to hers, and held one of her hands in his pale one. "Meg, do you realize that you have to use your ability to help people?" Megumi nodded. "Of course!"

"Foolish girl, think first! What you just experienced may be one of the weakest of intense visions you'll get with this job. Are you sure you're up to it?" Megumi bit her lip. "Don't you think I could think about it first?" Rumiko nodded furiously. "Certainly. You don't even have to make a decision at all. But it would be in… the world's best interests." He added under his breath, "Not to mention mine."

Megumi heard it, nonetheless. "Your best interests? How so?" Rumiko blushed, knowing he'd been caught. "Meg, I… I…" For once, the arrogant, stubborn copy mage was unsure and speechless. Megumi smiled softly. "I see." Her hand, the one that had touched the table, the brick, now touched her right eye. "What do I see, Rumiko?"

Rumiko's breath caught in his throat, but he cleared it. "Nothing, for copy mages do not carry a signature." Megumi shook her head. "I see someone who has haunted my dreams since before we found that the Jovian Forces were human. Someone, who I was sure was so many people, but they weren't. Someone who was only one person, and the one person who had the ending of the dream before me, the one person who can connect with me on so many levels… I see you, Rumiko." Her hand left her eye, and went to his shoulder. Pulling him closer, she breathed out, "Do you see me?"

Finally, Rumiko kissed Megumi, and she wasn't upset at all. Neither was he, for that matter. It was something they had been hoping would happen for a long time.

~*~

After lunch was another matter in its entirety. After all, Hikaru had never taught anyone to do anything in her life, let alone ten people she knew to do something she knew tons about. You have to admit, it sounded pretty easy. But actually standing in front of these people in the cafeteria, or rather, sitting on the ordering counter in front of these people, all seated, was when the sheer chore of this task was shown into the light. Nevertheless, she had promised Rumiko she'd do it, so she'd do it. She adjusted her glasses and looked over who needed what done. Two names stood out from the list: Gai and Itsuki. She had heard Itsuki was working on her control, but Gai hadn't had much work done to him at all. Most everyone else was either halfway through control, or they had already moved on to common knowledge and integrity.

"Gai-chan, Itsuki-chan, it seems that the two of you are somewhat behind, aren't you?" The two of them groaned, but Itsuki kept her comments to herself as she opened her violin case. Gai, however, wasn't as smart. Running a hand through his now shoulder-length hair, he rolled his eyes. "Damn, we've been caught! Amano-sensei's gonna keep us after school!" Hikaru shook her pen at the man. "Don't tempt me, Gai. I may do just that. I'll have you reorganizing my manga, anime, AND my CDs if you don't keep your comments to yourself!" Gai shrugged. Ryoko smirked at her lover's childhood friend. "Do keep in mind that Hikaru has a million CDs." Hikaru wrinkled her nose at her. "For your information, it's a thousand, hundred, seventy-seven CDs, and I'm busy here, not making small talk!" Shoving her glasses up her nose, she hid her face with her clipboard to keep from laughing. She was trying her hardest to be the stern teacher, but it just wasn't working out.

Gai, not needing to be armed with anything, was to be handled first. Hikaru had seen both Rumiko and Inez take their students one-on-one, and knew that the rest of the class would just amuse themselves while waiting. Or practice. Whatever came first. Hikaru took Gai over to a side of the cafeteria where, if he missed, he wouldn't hit anyone. Then she scampered off to bother How Mei. "Oh, Miss How Mei~?" she asked, singsong, and she barely had anytime to duck before the package of coffee filters shot out of the kitchen. "There you go, Hikaru."

"Thank you!" she picked up the package and opened them up. She lifted only one of the papers and held it as she told Gai what he was to do. "Okay, I'm going to throw these in all sorts of directions, and I want you to zap them. Sound good?" Gai raised his eyebrows. "Well… won't they catch on fire?" Hikaru nodded. "Yeah, but not as bad as you'll think. Paper towels go up pretty fast, and these are much smaller and thinner. It'll be more of them disappearing than frying, okay?" With the first flung filter, the air around them became a battlefield, the filters versus the lightning, and the slight breeze from the vent, or from Hikaru, caught in the middle.

Twenty of the twenty-five filters were utterly destroyed, while the other five lay on the ground, untouched by Gai's magic. The said man gripped his knees, panting as if he had run a race. Hikaru was pleased with the results, but not the effects. "Oh, Gai, you're out of shape! You need to learn how to pace yourself, not mention not use as much energy on simple things like this." As if to demonstrate, Hikaru beckoned a finger towards the floor, as if calling the filters to her. The air in the room changed; instead of flowing down, it blew up, pushing the papers up to where Hikaru could easily pluck them from the air. Stacking them together, she glanced at Gai. He seemed a little surprised. Hikaru smiled. "And I'm not panting like the bitch I am, either, ne?" Gai glared at her. "Fine, so we know what I have to work with." Hikaru shooed him off. "That means I'm done with you. Next!"

As Gai stomped off, very obviously mentally whipped by the petite redhead, Itsuki could not hold in the smile of amusement as she skipped over with her trusty violin. "That was great, Hikaru. Really. Total bitch-slap." Hikaru giggled. "I suppose so. Now, I heard from Ryoko that you've been trying to catch up on control, right?" Itsuki nodded. Hikaru continued, sitting down into a chair. "That's actually pretty impressive. Not being lazy and actually doing homework. Anyway, let's see how far you've gotten." Itsuki gave her a nod, then a bow, before standing straight and resting her violin under her chin. She paused and took a deep breath, then began to slowly play the same song from the talent show. Hikaru paid close attention, but was surprised when she heard all of the background music for it, because no stereo or anything was playing, besides the girl before her. The song wasn't too long, but Hikaru was also surprised to find that her head wasn't being messed with either; Ryoko said that's what Itsuki was capable of doing, and it had intrigued the wind mage.

Itsuki finished and pulled the violin from her chin. "Well?" Hikaru clapped. "Amazing! And I don't just mean your performance, since you already know you kick ass on it. But no, your grip on your magic was so awesome! In fact, you made other music come in and play at the same time, instead of fiddle with my mind!" Itsuki was a little surprised with that; Rumiko made the impression that that's all her magic could do. When she voiced this, Hikaru dug into her pocket case pinned to her uniform. She pulled out an old, dingy, green paperback book and glanced through the pages. "Yeah, this is it." She looked up. "In this book, a girl goes from working mostly with wind, to mostly lightning. It could possibly be, "she put the book back into the silver box and closed it, "that your magic has evolved into something less offensive and more useful to you, ne?"

Itsuki nodded; it made sense to her. "But I'm under Magus's sign. Isn't He the God of Minds, or Magic or whatever?" Hikaru shook her head. "He's the God of Spirit. And this could mean those under him could look into another's spirit, effect their spirit, imitate it, stuff like that. But music IS a product of spirit. In that case-"

"It can easily do many things; effect people, entertain them, enlighten them, inspire them, lots of things." Itsuki nodded. "I wasn't happy when I effect Ryoko, made her fall into a daze. But if my magic has evolved and is now capable of doing other things…" she looked genuinely happy, but her expression grew dark. "Don't we have to stand up to Magus soon? Would this less offensive tone work against him?" Hikaru shrugged. "I'm not even sure if ones under him would be capable of harming him in anyway." Itsuki frowned. "Damn. I wanted a piece of the action."

~*~

Omoikane was fully ready to walk Ruri to bed after the lesson with Hikaru, despite the fact that it had ended late afternoon, near dinner. What he didn't expect was for her to be completely and totally awake, not worn out in the least bit. He blinked several times to figure out what had happened. "Ruri-sama? Do you need to go to bed?" Ruri shook her head at her robot. "No, I feel fine." One thing was different, there was a sense of pride in her voice, something Omoikane had never heard from her before, especially directed at herself. "Are… you all right?" Ruri nodded. "I finished, Omoikane, according to Amano-san."

Omoikane's eyes grew bigger, and he clamped himself to her pale arm. "Oh, Ruri-sama! I'm so happy! Are you really finished being trained to be a healer?" At her nod, he squealed. "I'm so proud, Ruri-sama!" Ruri smiled slightly at her oldest friend, but said nothing. Omoikane still hugged her arm, rubbing his head like a cat on it from time to time. "I haven't been this proud since you were put on the Nadesico, Ruri-sama," he whispered, the cheeriness mostly gone from his voice, which was shocking, but quite sincere and serious.

"WE were put on the Nadesico, Omoikane," corrected Ruri. She had been working with him for some time before they were dispatched back to Nergal. Closing her eyes and settling on the memory, she smiled slightly again, leaning her head on his. "Do you remember when I was first brought to meet you, Omoikane-chan?"

Omoikane grinned; it had been the happiest day of his short life. He had been created only a few months before, to be one of the most advanced computers ever made, capable of learning, even feeling. He had been sent to a couple who were to receive a girl from a remote school in Scandinavia. The whole operation had been strictly confidential; the records were later destroyed entirely. But, after the girl had gotten there and received a nanoinjection, she was soon learning how to control the difficult machine. Ruri connected with Omoikane like anyone would, but it was Ruri herself that made Omoikane show his true personality as a computer to her. They had soon become good friends, and they accomplished all of their tasks quickly, connecting mentally and emotionally, as no other user and interface had before.

He also remembered their initial meeting. The conversation wasn't very long, but it spoke volumes. Ruri had been evaluating his information structure when his personality couldn't take it anymore; he had to talk to this person. "Hello, person, what brings you here?" There had been initial shock, then a reply. "Who are you? How is it that you're talking to me?" Omoikane had mentally shrugged; Ruri had actually seen shoulders do the action, but no actual person. "I don't know, I just can. I'm Omoikane, the computer you're using. I don't know who you are, but you're amazing!" Ruri's eyebrows had knit. "I am Ruri, the user. Will you allow me to use you in the ways my instructors desire?" Omoikane had agreed immediately; he didn't can what he had to do, as long as he got to watch this amazing "Ruri" do things he didn't even know he was capable of.

Omoikane glanced up at Ruri, who obviously wasn't waiting for an answer. But he supplied one anyway. "I'd never forget that, Ruri-sama."

~*~

A pale hand ran up the unnaturally, but equally, pale arm, and down again, clasping with the limp hand that lay there. Izumi squeezed Inez's hand, as if expecting a response, but expectedly getting none. Izumi sighed in response to Inez's lack, and raised their clasped hands to her face, the side that was always covered by her bangs, the side that seemed to cry the most, the side that showed her true emotions. "Can you feel me, Inez? At all?" Izumi knew Inez wouldn't say anything to answer, but she rubbed her face against the Martian's hand anyway. "This is who you affected so much. Me. Izumi. Your lover. And I miss you. Horribly. Please come back."

There was no response. Izumi was not surprised. "Magus didn't do this to you. Well, He did, but I caused it. Hikaru and Ryoko know, but at least they are kind enough to not be upset with me. Bad Luck has struck again. Whoever says third time's a charm is a asshole who needs to be dragged out into the center of town and chopped into bitty pieces." Izumi smiled coldly, as if she knew it was true, that she was the cause of Inez's illness. "I guess I signed the deal at that beauty pageant, huh? I must be Death's favorite living customer. I bring all those I say 'I love you' to him. Well, I'll try to spare you, Inez. I won't say I love you. I feel it, but I'll keep quiet. You're too close to his reach, no reason to make him reach for you." Izumi wasn't truly aware that she was babbling. "Inez, you… I won't let you die on me. I… We need you, you know? The Explanation Lady? Rumiko and Igadosu aren't doing very good jobs of explaining things. You have to wake up to prove them who can do it better. Please, Inez? You were always there to explain everything there was to know, scientific or magical. It was like you knew what was going to happen. But you didn't foresee this, did you? Or did you?"

Izumi fell silent and settled for studying Inez's face. It was frightening seeing the woman who made herself seem superior to everyone around her look so frail, so fragile, so limp. Izumi actually noticed how often Inez wore makeup, because Inez's lips looked foreign, pale as they were, and the rest of her face was just as pale. Or maybe it was the sickness. No, the sickness only affected her mind.

"Your mind, Inez… when you come out of this, will everything in it be okay? Will you remember everything? Will you lose something? Aqua, who knows what kind of shit can happen to you when someone probes you like Magus has." For the first time since they arrived in Somenolenthe, Izumi felt tears well up in her eyes again. Inez's mind was what attracted her so, the intelligence of the woman shaping who she was, MAKING her superior. She admired the Martian because of her extensive knowledge, and it was Inez's own hunger for the thing that drew her to Izumi, sensing that the girl was brilliant, but didn't like to show it often. If Inez lost that, wouldn't Izumi lose Inez?

The door behind Izumi opened, and she turned to see who stood there. Rumiko and Megumi. Izumi wiped her eyes calmly. "Something for you?"

Rumiko had been a little in shock at the scene. He knew Izumi and Inez cared a great deal for each other, but he expected Izumi to be holed up somewhere, not visiting their patient. He cleared his throat. "We need to start seeing if we can open the box, Izumi. You understand that you need to leave."

Izumi nodded, the old gleam coming back to her visible eye, the one that showed all the time when she was punning to hide her emotions. She stood. "Of course. You would want to open her box, wouldn't you?" she joked, her best friend's sexual knowledge influencing the pun. She giggled insanely, which made Megumi's eyebrow twitch. Izumi excused herself from the room, still snickering.

Rumiko watched the blue-haired woman let herself out. He turned back to Megumi. "Has she always done that?" Megumi nodded. "She was calming down with them, but she must be in the mood to be weird and annoying. It wasn't fun listening to endless strings of puns over the communication channels."

Rumiko shook his head. "No, I mean… hiding behind the jokes?" Megumi could not answer. She tried not to get involved in the pilots' drama, after she lost interest in Akito. Rumiko waited a few moments for an answer before deciding to leave it as is. He took Izumi's chair and sat down. "Shall we begin?" Megumi nodded, happy that they were away from dangerous topics, and pulled a chair to the other side of Inez's bed. "What do I do? I mean, this isn't exactly colored places on walls."

Rumiko nodded, lifting Inez's limp hand in his. "Put your hands on her head. Fall into her mind and follow my lead. You'll understand when we get in." With that, he closed his eyes, his inner self falling willingly into the silver mass of his magic, coating his body before going into Inez's, standing by the dark green mass, waiting for the appearance of Megumi's magical self.

Megumi placed her hands on Inez's head, which had started to glow silver, and closed her eyes, watching the silver and green swirl into her black vision. As it separated, it looked odd. It wasn't a memory, a vision, or anything. It was something that was happening now. There wasn't much to be seen, but she did see a great dark green blob, and Rumiko's figure standing near it. Rumiko seemed to be completely and totally silver, but not as bright as Megumi would have expected. Rumiko nodded his head, and it seemed that he spoke to her with his mind as he reached a hand out to her. 'Okay, Meg. This is Lady's magic. We have to pass through it to get to the trap. Take my hand and I'll lead you to it.' Megumi nodded and grasped his hand, surprised to see that her own body was black as night. Without walking at all, Rumiko pulled Megumi into the dark green mass, and after some time, out of it, into a place that seemed a lot like the Boson tunnels; colorless and colorful at the same time. Megumi turned to Rumiko to ask why it was that way, but he answered before she could voice the question. 'Lady Ai is in sync with the TST Calculator. She has the ability to Teleport. All mages' minds are in this fashion, to indicate to Magus's Rage mages that this person is a mage.'

'Wouldn't they tell by the magic on the outside?' thought Megumi, unaware that the thought was transferred to Rumiko. He answered, 'No. I'm Magus's Calm, a copy. I get to the magic first, so I can copy it. I'm only here because I'm using raw power, and you're here because you're in sync with me.' Megumi nodded, but was suddenly blinded by a horribly bright silver light. Shielding her eyes, she realized that it was in the shape of a box. They had made it.

Rumiko let go of her hand. 'Okay, just like at my house, dim the light so you can see better.' Megumi whined. 'But all I can see is silver!'

'That's all you will see. Magus's own magic will not dim, but anyone else's will. Tell me where you can see darker spots, preferably a big one, and I'll go in to see if I can work around it.' Megumi nodded, and closed her inner eyes. When she opened them again, she could see distinct spots in the bright silver cube. They still glowed silver as well, but much less so, almost seeming purple or gray instead of silver. Megumi mentally pointed them out. 'There, there, and there. That's one's the biggest one I see, though.' Rumiko scrutinized them through his own magical vision. 'All right. I'm going to go for the biggest one.' Without another word, Rumiko's magical self floated to the dark bruise in the box and reached out with his hand, composed of his power, towards it.

And was promptly swallowed by the escaping strands of bright silver that reached out from the box. Megumi's jaw dropped. Losing her concentration, she bounced back to reality, the physical world to see Rumiko slump over Inez's body, his limp hand losing grip on Inez's.

Unable to scream, Megumi panicked. She believed Rumiko to be trapped in Inez's mind. She slapped her hands on the Martian woman's forehead and looked for something, anything that would remind her of the Ninlandish man. Nothing. Not a trace. Hands trembling in fear, she lifted them and held her head in them, unbelieving of what had just happened.

'Darkness. No, light. Bright silver light. So bright, it's dark. I'm alone. I can see my magic from here, but I cannot reach it. It's held out of my grasp like a treat for a hound. A trapped toy?' Megumi's tearing eyes snapped up and she sat up immediately. She had caught a thought from Rumiko. 'He… he's in his own body. But how? He…' She lifted his head from Inez's stomach, removing his glasses. His amber eyes were half-lidded, and obviously rolled back into his head. She pushed his eyelids down to cover the gruesome look, and set his head down in a more comfortable position. Quietly, ignoring her own emotions about the scene, she walked over to his side of Inez's bed and lifted him up by his shoulders, nearly toppling over as she tried to support his weight on her petite body. Settling for dragging his feet on the floor, she pulled him to a bed next to Inez's, and finally got him on it after some huffing and puffing. Unknowing of what else to do, she set Rumiko's glasses on the table beside the bed, and pulled some of his hair from his face. Then she connected with Ruri. "Ruri, I need you to come to the infirmary." The confused look on Ruri's face voiced her thoughts, but the pale princess asked them anyway. "Has something gone wrong, Miss Rainerd?" Megumi nodded. "Rumiko has fallen the same as Miss Fressange, Ruri." Ruri barely blinked and answered before the window was closed. "I'll be right there."

When Ruri's face was gone, Megumi sank into the chair that a responsive Rumiko sat in just minutes before. With all the more important tasks finished, she was finally able to give in and cry. And cry she did.

~*~

TBC…

~*~

A/N: I am so frickin evil, aren't I? ^^ Well, how did it go? Well? I have to say, I was happy with the way this one went, for a change. A little longer than expected, but that's okay. Okay, what do we expect next time? Well, there will be a jump in the timeline, for one. Anything else can't be told. ^^ Why? Because next chapter is the start of the climax, dummy! That's right. We're hitting the beginning of the climax. Keep in mind the climax isn't quite as long as you would expect from me, only about two chapters, or less. But that's okay. Yeah. So, as always, stick with me and all will go great! Reviews equal Inflated Egos, and Inflated Egos equal Faster Chapters! See you next time! 


	20. Slap in the face

A/N: Hmm, I'm slowly feeling ignored. Ah well. Well, here we go. The one incident this entire fanfic has been leading up to, and it starts now. Are you ready to crumble? Hmm, I suppose not. Well, first, let's recap. Hikaru's now the only person teaching magic, Ruri became the second to finish her training, and Rumiko and Megumi finally gave into temptation, only to have Rumiko locked away in his own mind in the same fashion as Inez. The time is now. I know, I promised at the very beginning of the fic that I wouldn't order specific songs through this, but for this, I'm making an exception. One song. "Other World" from Final Fantasy X. That's all. Why? Because there is a specific feeling about this chapter. Note, that this isn't the end of the fanfic, but it's pretty damn close, and damn close is good enough for me. What do I see this time? Explanatory stuff, debate in action, and then it all goes to hell. So, I've held your attention long enough. I'll let you read now.

~*~

Weeks passed.

The April month matured and died, giving way to May, who also matured, and grasped for the remnants of its life before June came into it's place. Birthdays were not celebrated. Megumi was far too worried about those she nursed to acknowledge that she had turned nineteen. Akatsuki just didn't seem to care about anything anymore.

But the time had shown gradual events that seemed to be sudden, when they truly weren't.

The crew of the Nadesico itself seemed to separate into two different entities, with two very different opinions. Some of the crew was becoming restless with their prolonged residence on the distant planet. The war seemed to be over, hadn't that been proved by the slow disappearance of surges in the Jump computer? Why shouldn't they leave? They began longing for their families, everything they left behind for a greater cause when they were enlisted on the Nadesico. They dreamed of the day when the Captain would stand at the bridge and tell them to take off, now that they were physically capable. They argued that Inez did not have to be awake, and that medicine was more advanced on Earth, and they were more capable of healing her there, than on this medieval planet.

At the same time, some of the crew embraced the turn of events that was the spring of 2198. They fed their interest in the completely different culture, mingling with the townspeople, following Megumi's example of wearing Ninlan-style clothing. They didn't mind being far from home, and saw it as just another leg of the Nadesico's legacy. Who cared if the war was over? This place was untouched by it, and much more simple than Earth. They argued that Inez was a Martian, and that the crew essentially caused Rumiko's illness as well, and they should fess up to their responsibilities. And who's to say they wouldn't need all the Jumpers they could get to Jump them back to Earth? They didn't have the luxury of Akito and Yurika's love to get them home, and they'd have to rely on something else. Inez's illness was magical in nature, and what better place to investigate it than the magic capital of the solar system?

Some didn't care either way. The days on Ninlan were lazy and empty of duty; they had gained lots of time to kick back and relax. However, in recent days, this had not been the case. Uribatake had been ordered to take some of the mechanics and look for a good place to leave the Jump computer, since it was obvious that it would NOT be taken back to Earth, where it could be taken advantage of. What they had found was a fairly large, but isolated cave, in a small, abandoned mine near the edge of the forest, away from Somenolenthe. When they were to leave, they would leave the computer there, and it would create it's own distortion fields to protect it from onlookers and others who might use it immorally.

At this time, however, the computer still stood in the Nadesico's hangar bay. With Ruri not needing to worry so much about learning her magic, she returned to focusing on her job as a computer operator. She and Omoikane were assessing the computer in ways that, Ruri believed, were beyond even Inez's touch. Ruri herself wasn't able to connect well with the old piece of Martian culture and technology, but for some reason Omoikane was. So Ruri had been reduced to recording Omoikane's reports, but she didn't quite mind. Omoikane was as thorough as she would have been.

What did surprise them is when Omoikane had reported that the computer was very similar to himself, having emotions that were only found in humans. Omoikane had informed the silver-haired princess that the computer was restless, as it hadn't done anything truly productive in weeks. Ruri had taken this as a sign that the war on Earth was coming to a close, and had informed Yurika as such. The report had been a bright spot in a bleak-seeming situation.

Megumi had taken complete control over what was to happen to Inez and Rumiko, as the only person who had actually witnessed a trapping taking place. As time passed, they seemed to switch themselves into a state of self-sustenance, keeping themselves the same, no different, as if frozen in time. Having no need to feed them through their blood anymore, Megumi took them to a more comfortable area: Rumiko's home. There, she cared for the Martian and Ninlander, checking to see if either cage had deteriorated in anyway. Expectedly, they had not, but Megumi was able to probe the weak spots in ways that Rumiko could not. She had never been detected, nor had she been captured either. She assumed that this had to do with her having no connection to a God, whatsoever, and Igadosu, who had become a frequent visitor and advisor in the operation, agreed. However, despite Megumi's attempted, neither mage had shown signs of waking any time soon.

The town itself had changed drastically as well. After the return of the traveling crew from Carmina, it had become apparent that the villagers had found out about the ship that was hidden in the forest. They slowly had become accustomed to the roaming robots around, as it had become obvious that, if they knew about the ship, the pilots could easily use the Aestis to travel back and forth. They were also very aware that many of the people that could control these robots were illegal Elemental mages, but a good portion of them had received pardon from Lord Mythos himself. However, many people still did not agree. They believed Igadosu a traitor of the Temple, and overthrew him as the Head Priest of their church. However, with no one to replace him, the church become an empty place in Somenolenthe, and among the villagers, the devout became sparse. It did not matter much to Igadosu, as he had been willing to rewrite his true beliefs since the arrival of the Nadesico, and he was often too busy helping Megumi indirectly to care.

With the town becoming increasingly accepting of the Nadesico crew, Hikaru no longer had to hide her classes in the ship. She seemed to change the scenery all the time; different rooms on the ship, the clearing outside the ship, somewhere between Somenolenthe and the forest, the inn, the abandoned church, everywhere. Many also came to see how well she was doing, and were quite surprised to find that an Earthling knew so much of their culture. With Megumi it was expected, as she had been living with Rumiko for some time. But Hikaru was an enigma within herself, claiming to have learned everything she knew from books, apparently written by Earthlings that seemed to have some sort of insight on how these things actually worked.

Ruri was also not the last to finish their learning. She had merely sparked the slew of completions. The class got smaller and smaller, until Hikaru had to call most of them back because, as many of them finished learning control under Inez and Rumiko, she was not sure about their grasp on it. She, for one, understood that it was important, therefore, took each control lesson to heart. The others didn't seem to have her dedication, and this frightened her. The last thing they needed was a mage out of control, especially with them possibly leaving the planet soon. Who knew what kind of conditions the Jump would need? Therefore, Hikaru began lecturing on control, telling them things that she had read, and basically scaring them out of their wits, and forcing them to focus and work, even if they were finished.

But of course, the issue on leaving was clear in everyone's minds. The entire trip to Carmina had a sole purpose: to get the Barrier keeping them from leaving lifted. But events such as Inez's sickness postponed their departure. However, with the mages, for the most part, having finished learning what they needed to know, the issue came up again.

Yurika, although afraid of what they may Jump to, especially with Inez out of commission, had been wanting to go home for ages. However, at the same time, she understood that they had basically been the cause of Rumiko falling ill, and therefore believed they should stay until he was better. With her indecision, and the crew seeming to demand answers, she called a meeting to find the better choice, to stay or go.

~*~

A good portion of the crew sat in the cafeteria, most of them sitting in their seats. Yurika, on the other hand, was sitting on the ordering counter. She was dressed in her casual clothing, as if to show her standing on the subject with her fashion. Everyone else in the room seemed to be doing the same, actually. Only a few were in street clothes, and most of everyone else were either wearing their uniforms or clothes they had bought in Somenolenthe. She waited for her crew to quiet down as she swung her legs, showing her impatience.

The talking toned down significantly, and Yurika began to speak. "Okay, I've noticed there's been a lot of controversy and straight-up fighting about whether or not we should go. Had this been two months ago, I would have said let's go, but things have happened since then, and we all know it. I understand that there are good points to both scenarios, so let's hear some of your arguments." The cafeteria erupted in everyone talking at once, once again. It was so sudden Yurika had to cover her ears. "ONE AT A TIME!" she shrieked, desperate to be heard over her desperate crew. A moment passed in silence before Ryoko stood from the pilot's table.

"Kanchou, I think we should get going. We're not going to do any better if we wait for Miss Fressange to get better, so we should just leave. We're capable of it, and I'm sure you and Tenkawa can Jump us back to earth, no problem." Some of the others dressed in their uniforms cheered, albeit softly, because they were under the scrutiny of Yurika. Yukina, seated at another table, crossed her arms and grumbled, "I can Jump too, you know…" Minato heard this, nodded, and stood. "And Yukina can Jump as well, but remember when Kanchou, Tenkawa-san, and Miss Fressange all tried to Jump us away, even with the computer on board? They couldn't. And with only CCs to help us Jump this time, I think we need everyone we can get to Jump us home."

Hikaru stood now, pulling on her pale yellow skirts, as she had been the second of the Nadesico's crew to switch to Ninlandish clothing. "That isn't the only case, here. We have to take responsibility for our actions, and make sure everything is back to normal before leaving. Rumiko's just as sick as Miss Fressange, and Igadosu's lost his Temple because of us. The Barrier's been taken down, and who knows what kind of turmoil's' been raised in Carmina. You don't go to a campsite and leave candy wrappers everywhere, so we shouldn't leave this planet in pieces, when we're the ones who broke it."

Mr. Prospector couldn't help but make a comment. "Ninlan would have been found by the Earth Alliance soon enough anyway. It was just a matter of time. If it wasn't us, do you truly believe that the results would have been much better?"

"But the only people capable of Boson Jumping are myself, Yurika, Miss Fressange, and the Jovian Alliance. Not to mention we arrived here by chance…" argued Akito.

"Not really, Akito. Rumiko once told me that Ninlan is just beyond Pluto. We would have found it eventually, as Mr. Prospector said. But I don't think the point is how long it would have been for Ninlan to have contact with Earth, ne, Kanchou?" Megumi turned to Yurika, who nodded. This whole discussion seemed to be going in the wrong direction.

"Meg's right, you guys. We're trying to figure out if we should stay or go, not whether Ninlan would have just floated peacefully in space or not." She sighed. "This is obviously not going in the right direction at all. Look, I know we all want to go home. We want to see our families. Hell, we want to see if we did the right thing and ended the war. But I also know that we've been here for quite sometime. A lot of us are used to Ninlan now, ne? And once we go home, things won't be the same, ever. But this all is focused on one question. Stay or go. Go or stay. We won't be staying forever, just until everything's fixed itself, but if we decide to go, it will be some time before we can truly leave. I'm asking you when we leave, sooner or later, not whether we take up permanent residence." She stopped. "All for staying until Miss Fressange wakes up?"

Comparing how many people in the room to how many hands were up, not many were keen on the idea of staying longer than needed. Yurika nodded slowly, knowing what the answer was, but she had to ask. "All for leaving as soon as possible?" The difference in number was not astronomical, but it was great. Yurika smiled softly. "All right. It's Monday now. Friday we leave to go home, back to Earth. You have till the end of the week to set your Ninlan affairs in order, or to make the decision of whether you're staying or not. Dismissed!"

~*~

Megumi was not happy with the turnout of the vote. She had never felt a great love for any place, but Ninlan was different. It was everything she ever wanted. And now she had to leave for Earth at the end of the week, possibly to never see Rumiko again. In all this time, she had feared him never waking again, as Izumi had at first about Inez before she stopped caring about life in general again. Now, even if he were to wake before Friday, as unlikely as it was, Megumi would have to tell him goodbye.

After the meeting, she had gone straight home. She didn't go to her dorm room on the ship, as she didn't see it as much of anything but a room anymore. Sure, it had her things in it, but she hadn't slept there in months. It would be different sleeping in that bed when for the past weeks she had been sleeping in Rumiko's. Her home was no longer on the ship, as much as she was crew as the rest. Her home seemed to be Rumiko's house, the dingy, small, outdated little shack that Megumi had come to love.

She had collapsed into Rumiko's bed, upset that it now smelled like her, and wrapped the blanket she had claimed months ago around her shoulders. A while ago, she was sleeping in her chair, while Inez slept on a cot, and Rumiko slept in his own bed. But she soon put him on a cot as well, and slept in his bed. This was after one lonely night when she had felt he would never wake again. She needed that smell of Rumiko to lull her to sleep. To comfort her. She needed that smell now, to tell her there was hope, but it was not there. There was no hope.

Now, it was late at night, far past midnight. She had long since eaten, and now she had willed herself to check Inez and Rumiko again. She put her hands on the Martian woman's head, and closed her eyes. She let the darkness give way to the anatomy of Inez's mind, as she had many times before. She traveled her own path through the green mass that was Inez's magic, to reach the colorless and colorful area with the horrible bright silver box in it. One thing that was odd was that the green mass seemed smaller than normal. Megumi ignored this as she entered the main chamber of Inez's mind. She dimmed the lights on the box, attempting see where there were spots, imperfections in the cage, and was surprised with what she saw. Normally, there were dark, bruise-like spots on the box, changing in size and shape.

This time, however, there seemed to be a lot of dark green spots. Megumi opened her physical eyes, a little confused at this development. "The only people with that kind of magic are Akatsuki and Miss Fressange, and Miss Fressange is trapped away…" She stood and stepped over to Rumiko's cot, placing her clammy hands on his forehead next. Just like Inez's, there were big spots in the box. His cage had never had any spots, so this seemed like a bigger leap than it initially had.

Megumi stood again, unable to contain her happiness. She was just depressed about Rumiko only a few hours ago. Now it seemed like they were both on the verge of waking. Maybe even as soon as tomorrow. She sat down at Rumiko's desk to write down exactly what she saw before bed, before she forgot, so she could tell both Yurika and Igadosu. The desk was next Inez's cot, and Rumiko's was closer to the center table. Megumi had to make sure she didn't trip to reach the chair and slip into it.

As she placed the quill back in the inkwell after finishing her description, she tried to stretch her legs without standing. Her skirt refused to move. Frowning, Megumi bent down to see what had restricted her sleeping legs to regain blood.

Inez's hand gripped Megumi's pale green, almost white skirts. Megumi let out a small gasp. Inez was wide-awake, it seemed. Well, her eyes were open, very open. But there was something wrong with them. It took Megumi a minute to realize that Inez's normally gray-blue eyes were glowing with a cold golden quality that would frighten children. Her pale, chapped lips parted, and she let out a ragged breath before speaking, "The time has come."

Remembering that Rumiko had spots in his cage as well, she glanced at his cot. He was now sitting up, glaring at her with eyes identical to Inez's. If you weren't close to the Ninlandish man, the difference wouldn't have been noticed much. But Megumi knew him far too well, and noticed the difference immediately. He smirked at her, as if her fright was amusing to him. "The prophecy has begun."

A moment passed, and then the two of them shuddered, wrapped arms around themselves and closing their eyes tightly, as if undergoing a great pain or it was very cold in the room, which it wasn't. It was nearly June, and the spring had been almost unbearably hot around Somenolenthe.

Megumi was still too shaken up to move. She slowly pulled herself from the chair and sat down next the closest cot, Inez's. "Are… are you two all right?" she asked, trying to keep her clear, bell-like voice steady and calm. Inez took a deep breath, and sat up, stroking her chin. "That was Magus, no doubt about it." Rumiko was still breathing heavy. "Are you certain, Lady Ai?"

The Martian woman nodded. "Absolutely. No one else is capable of trapping someone's mind off in that fashion, except for a very strong Possession mage, and frankly, we haven't come into contact with any. Even Mythos was kind of weak." She got off the cot and began to pace. "Megumi, I know we said something before we got a hold of ourselves, what did we say?" Megumi bit her lip, and quoted it as best she could. "'The time has come,' and 'the prophecy has begun.' Why, Miss Fressange?"

Inez smirked; she had it already figured out. "What is the prophecy, Rumiko?" Rumiko's jaw dropped as he realized it too. Nonetheless, he answered Inez's question. "'And the prophecies state that the younger priest would imagine the woman, and the comet would fall, bringing an end to Magus and, in affect, our world.' Lady Ai, Magus will-"

"-Strike as soon as possible, I'm afraid." Inez nodded. "As soon as tomorrow, I believe." Megumi couldn't believe this. "If he's to attack the others, why would He set you free?"

"To regain some of His strength. He's been using it constantly to send the Elemental Gods off, and He's also been using it to keep us from finding the truth, and from getting in His way, and to scare the others."

Rumiko stood immediately, but swooned. He had been out of action for weeks now, after all. "We have to warn them, Lady!" Inez shook her head. "No. Remember, we don't know how Magus will strike, Rumiko. We had discussed the possibility of a host, but who knows if there is one, and if so, who? We would just caused chaos and mistrust, when they need to band together the best they can for this."

Megumi's jaw dropped. "So, are you saying you're letting them go blind, Miss Fressange?" Inez glanced at the petite girl. "In all seriousness, yes, Megumi. But it's not unlike them ever going into battle before. And this time calls for blindness. In fact, the only people who know this will happen are the three of us, remember? And the two of us," she glanced at Rumiko, who seemed dead serious about the subject, "will probably be entering the battle as well."

Megumi couldn't believe it. She had never truly liked the pilots, especially after losing interest in Akito and Akatsuki, but they were people too. People that could easily die in battle. They weren't immortal, though one could have wonders about Gai. Could Inez be so cold as to let them go, and possibly die against a God? "But something might happen…"

Inez put her hands on the shorter girl's shoulders. "Megumi, this is the way it's supposed to go. The events will unfold themselves as they need to. Believe me, this is for the best."

~*~

Hikaru's lecture the next day took place early that morning, just outside the forest, which had been unnamed until the Nadesico's resting place was common knowledge among the residents of Somenolenthe. It was now called the Forest of Femininity, to the amusement of the majority of the crew. She sat on one of the stumps that marked where farmland reached the forest, book pile on the ground next to her and notes in her lap. Everyone else either sat on similar stumps, on the ground, or stood around.

Hikaru glanced at her notes, but sighed and folded them back up and set them on her books. They never followed her lesson plans anyway. "Okay, anyone want to know something? We'll just base the lesson off that." It was always the same people that raised their hands. Akito, Jun, Izumi, and Yurika seemed to be the only ones with questions. But today, another hand graced the air, Akatsuki's. Hikaru was surprised, and completely ignored everyone else. "Akatsuki-san?"

Akatsuki didn't look at her, but stayed leaning against the tree. This was his usual position, but he seemed a bit more cocky than usual. But that was Akatsuki for you. "Yeah, I got a question. Magus sealed away the Doctor and Rumiko-san so they wouldn't use magic, right? How would one try to put a restraint on someone with, say, Magus's Rage, do you think?"

Hikaru thought this was a very obvious question. Everyone already knew that Inez and Rumiko were trapped in boxes, or cages. "Well, you'd block it off, like Magus did. With a box, or a cage, an empty room… something that they wouldn't be able to break from, I suppose. Why?"

Akatsuki didn't answer her question. "Could you block it off the same way you'd block air out of someone's throat, if you were strangling them?" Hikaru's eyebrows knit in confusion. She knew Akatsuki was morbid and heartless, but the description was so cold, it worried her. And why did he want to know this anyway? "Yes… I suppose even in the physical world that could work. Akatsuki, why did you ask that?" Akatsuki finally met eye contact with the wind mage, who gasped when she saw his eyes. They were glowing golden.

"Good answer, Amano-san." With that said, Akatsuki lunged at Yurika, his rough hands wrapping around her neck, his thumbs pushing down on her air passage. For the first three seconds, everyone was just stunned. That was certainly something no one expected, was for Akatsuki to attack his former lover, much less with the sole intent on killing.

Jun was the first to overcome the shock, as pure anger ran through his veins. "NO! You won't hurt her!" he screamed, opening his hands and letting his anger fuel the fire in his heart, the one that burned for Yurika, and let it burn for Yurika. He shot it straight at the gravity mage, not using his better judgment in the least bit. Hikaru took a bit longer to recuperate, but she also realized that was going on here. Akito reached for the fire mage to stop him from killing Akatsuki, though Jun wasn't anywhere near that goal. Hikaru shook her head. "No, Akito! Let him…" She looked and saw that the fires weren't doing much good. "Fuck!"

Akatsuki let go of the Captain's throat long enough to see the source of the sudden surge of magic, and smiled a vicious, feral grin that Itsuki could never have hoped to beat. He pushed Yurika to the ground and pushed Jun down with his magic, face-first. He then stood and ground his foot into the Executive Officer's back. A blast of quick, rotating wind hit him, pushing him off Jun and onto the ground. With Hikaru's magic to stop the CEO of Nergal, Akito felt a large icicle form in his hand, and pushed his glasses up, as if to aim. Izumi laid a hand on the Martian man's shoulder. "Akito, you can't-"

"He can!" interrupted Hikaru, frowning in concentration. "That's not Akatsuki, it's Magus!" It took Izumi a few seconds to see what Hikaru meant. But when she did, she couldn't argue. Those weren't the dark brown eyes of the Akatsuki family line. Those were golden eyes that glowed with hate for all that were among them. The longhaired pilot didn't like them very much, but he didn't HATE them. Not truly. Izumi's pale hand slipped from Akito's shoulder. She covered her eyes with one hand as she gathered a ball of water in the other.

And all hell broke loose.

~*~

TBC…

~*~

A/N: Bahahahahaaa, I know, I'm rude crude and you all hate me. Get in line. Well, I started the climax, didn't I? I did as promised. ^^ More details on this fight in the next chapter. ^^ Well, how'd it go? I admit, the recapping was a bit harsh, but did you really want all those slow details to work themselves out? Hell no. It seemed better to just give them to you. And the debate has been going on inwardly for the majority of the fic, you just haven't seen it much, have you? Yeah. Told you, lots of stuff. Now, what do I see for the next chapter? Hmm. Well, more fighting stuff. And if all goes well, it will be the end of the fighting bit as well, but if not, the last turning point in it. Yeah. I told you, this is the freakin' climax. Didn't believe me? Losers. Anyway, till next time, reviews rule my world! Bye~! 


	21. Something ends here

A/N: Hmm, was last chapter far too expected? Damn. Oh well, there was supposed to be a great deal of build-up to this. ^^ Well, let's do the normal recap, shall we? Last time, time passed us by, the decision about leaving was made, certain ill characters awakened, and the stand against a possessed Akatsuki began. Keep in mind, this chapter is one of the reasons this entire fic was rated R, despite my vulgarity… extreme violence in the not so much sort of way, not to mention certain other events that, if I said them now, would be quite spoiling. Anyway… Again, dictating the music choices (I swear I won't do this for the next fic, I promise!) … "One Winged Angel" from FF7. Okay, let's see how this all works out.

~*~

Izumi and Akito's attacks didn't do much damage to the seemingly endurable Akatsuki, but it got everyone else on their feet and working. Hikaru stopped playing around with the winds and was twirling a potential tornado. She nodded at Ryoko, and Ryoko figured out the strategy immediately. She set an earthquake at the CEO of Nergal with a stomp of her foot. As expected, Akatsuki floated up, using his gravity mage to stay above the ground. But, in order to escape Hikaru's tornado, he had to land again. Hikaru smirked. "Okay, that worked well." Akatsuki's, or Magus's golden eyes flipped to Hikaru. "And you won't do it again." Hikaru actually noticed this time that Akatsuki had no pupils anymore.

While Hikaru and Ryoko distracted Akatsuki, Gai grasped Yukina's hand. When she flashed to him for an explanation, the hard look on his face and the next statement was all she needed. "Copy me!" Yukina nodded quickly and closed her eyes tightly, trying to concentrate with her heart beating so fast. She zoomed into the seemingly fiery orange-yellow mass of magic, surprised to find it quite cool to her touch. Letting memories, thoughts, dreams, and pure magic flow into her body, she opened her eyes again and yanked her hand from Gai's grasp roughly, then let all of the foreign power exit her hands in the form of lightning. Yukina nodded at the Earthling, before running over to Hikaru to repeat the action as he himself distracted Magus, or Akatsuki, this time.

Ruri, finding herself in the crossfire and without anything to fight back with, panicked slightly. That is until she saw Jun's body still immobile, in a place where those who weren't paying much attention could easily trample him. And everyone was obviously focusing on the matter at hand. This was a task for the resident healer, namely, Ruri. As she stepped as calmly as she could to attempt to drag the heavy, unconscious body out of the way, something swelled in her. She always knew she was needed on the Nadesico, but it wasn't as desperate as this. Especially when Omoikane was built, and she seemed to have so much more time on her hands to spend doing absolutely nothing. She placed her hands over Jun's chest and closed her eyes, pushing the sounds of magical battle out of her ears to concentrate on healing the wounds inside Jun's body. She was needed for this, as the only healer available, and this saved time. And time was something they didn't have.

Itsuki smirked at this scene. For once, her passive talents would be making an offensive turn. She had always brought her violin with her since she started practicing control, if only so she could have something to work off of. She raised the instrument to her shoulder, and began to play, forcing the vibrations and sounds to attached themselves to Akatsuki's brain, tugging at it. But nothing happened. Her eyes widened as she practically watched her threads of music fall short of the possessed man. Something crashed into her head, and she fell down with the force, but kept a strong grip on her instrument. She lay still until she was sure that Akatsuki, no, Magus, was back to attacking Yurika. She stood and raised her violin again, angry. 'I see, since my magic is part of Him, or something, I can't use it against. Fuck. And I can't harm him physically, well, technically I can't… because we're fighting an entity here, not Akatsuki. Bleh. Reduced to a simple cheerleader.' She sighed and began to play harshly and quickly, reaching out to the minds of her friends, attempting to influence them to work harder without using as much energy, giving them her strength.

Izumi got an idea as Yurika clawed at Akatsuki arms, drawing blood and pulling chunks out of the man's skin. She closed her eyes and mumbled, "Tidal wave tidal wave tidal wave…" to help her concentrate on the one thing that might help them, if only slightly. When her eyes opened again, she held out her right hand and watched the blue sparkles go from faint to bright, and both Yurika and Akatsuki were drenched in not just water, but ocean water. Izumi made the majority of the salty water flowing Akatsuki's open wounds, then pulled the water out, leaving only the painful grains behind. Magus's golden, but vacant eyes turned to her. It seemed like He could tell where and who attacked him, and when, But, for some odd reason, He didn't kill them all instantly, as He could have. "Foolish girl. You don't harm me that way, but only your would-be brother-in-law. He feels the pain, and I cannot. It is worthless, and only hurts your comrade."

Akito made another icicle and through it in the direction of Akatsuki's arms, in attempt to get him to let go of his childhood friend. "I have no qualms about hurting him!" Magus flinched, despite his previous words, that attacks on him would only harm Akatsuki, and dropped Yurika. She fell with a thud and lay there attempt to catch her breath that was so cruelly stolen from her moments before. Akatsuki rose several feet in the air, glaring at the Martian cook. "You won't try that again, and I'll see to it." Opening his right hand, Akito was suddenly pulled to the ground, falling harshly on his side, his hand helplessly in the way of his uncontrollable fall. He gasped as he heard the audible crack and the shooting pain up his right arm, then squeezed his eyes and mouth closed in attempts to not scream. He already knew what was wrong; something in his hand was broken, most likely his wrist.

In response to this horrible act, Gai pushed all of his magic up as high as he could, in attempts to electrocute Akatsuki in ways he had only dreamed about, but Magus had risen above the ground too high. The God of Spirit cackled. "Oh, I'm sorry, did I hurt your friend? Too bad, I suppose. But you can't reach Me anymore! Tsk tsk, your strength is pathetic!" Magus pushed Gai down as well, snapping his left leg like a twig as he crumbled against the ground. Hikaru's eyes widened as she saw all three of her male pilot friends immobile, incapable of fighting against this one person that they all seemed to despise so much. Magus's statement flew through her brain, and it took her only mere seconds to add strength to her tornado, making it taller and wider, telling it that eating the floating man would satisfy it in way that it's creator couldn't even begin to describe. Entranced by Hikaru's promise, the wind monster went straight for Akatsuki, licking his feet, and, reassured by the taste, tried to swallow him whole.

Yurika sat up slowly, squeezing her eyes shut as she lifted her right hand. She reached out and toward Akatsuki's mind. She could see him, dark green and fading quickly, trapped in a bright silver box that had become so familiar to her. 'A Possession trap box.' Something with intense power pushed her out, and the next thing she knew, golden, pupil-less eyes glared at her from the center of the tower of swirling wind. "And I thought I had rendered you powerless. Oh well, I'll do so now." She no longer could move, at all. She was pinned against the ground, and she felt things touch her mind. Not her body, but her mind, her magic, her will. Making her not want to fight it anymore, to give into the sinking feeling.

Jun, still unable to move much and under the healing powers of Ruri before she attempted to heal Akito and Gai, raised a trembling hand. Hikaru saw this motion and nodded. He threw as much fire as he could towards the tornado that trapped Akatsuki within. A pain in his chest made him stop, but he had done enough. The tornado now blazed with an eternally burning fire that only he could put out, and only when he was ready. He braced himself for the retaliation, and just in time. It felt like Akatsuki's foot was on him again, trying to crush his ribs into crumbs. He could breathe, but only barely. Specks flew through his vision as he felt the effects of his near-hyperventilation.

Hikaru raised the tornado so the grounds itself wouldn't catch fire and make this job harder that it already was, but she barely got to finish before she saw out of the corner of her eye, Izumi catch Ruri falling down from pure exhaustion. "Fuck!" she cried, but kept a strong grip on her tornado, not letting it hit the ground, or lose grip on Akatsuki. Ryoko took Ruri's body from Izumi's arms and set her out of the way. She pushed a lock of silver hair out of the girl's sweaty face. 'With Hikaru's tornado holding Him up, I can't do shit. And with it being on fire, Izumi can't do anything either. Yukina can't copy either of us, because we can't do anything, and Hikaru's too busy to let her copy her. Ruri's out, and everyone else can't move, and are sitting ducks.' She glanced at her lover, whose violet eyebrows were knit and who was playing as roughly as she had ever seen her play before. She couldn't think of anything else, when doing this, but Ryoko knew that Itsuki knew that it was almost hopeless. Still, she continued to lend strength to all those still around her, and in such a way that she wasn't worth attacking, at least to the God before them.

Izumi put up a barrier of water around them all as Hikaru's grip on her tornado failed. Fire flew in all directions as it stopped and ran backwards. Akatsuki didn't seem harmed from the past few attacks, not even singed. Closer scrutiny would have told that Akatsuki was trying his hardest to stay alive, and Magus being in his body helped just that much more. Izumi let her water barrier go down as soon as all the projectile blazes passed them, and turned to the only strategist that was capable of coherent thought, Ryoko. "Any ideas?"

"I certainly have few." Itsuki was the only one capable of moving that did not. The Three Angels were shocked to see both Inez and Rumiko standing behind them. Hikaru smiled. "Good morning, you too." Rumiko rolled his eyes at his former student. "Depends on your definition of good. It was hell trying to get Meg to stay home." Akatsuki, still floating above them, smirked at the new arrivals. "Reinforcements? And those that I've had control over for the past month or so. How amusing. And of course I know them well. They may not prove as well as you'd expect, my dear."

Inez narrowed her gray-blue eyes as she flew up in the air to the same level as her childhood friend. "I'm surprised at you, Magus. They're all still alive. You're toying with them, for fun, aren't you? Just like you played with me." Magus shook his host's head, smiling at the legendary girl from Ancient Mars. "Yes, I'm playing with them. They are amusing, and always have been. But you, no. You were just a mistake. I reached for the gravity mage, and got the one I didn't want. But I couldn't let you run free, you see. So I trapped you until I could get the one I wanted, this one."

Inez's eyebrows knit. "But I'm magically stronger than Nagare. Why did You choose him?" Magus laid a finger on Akatsuki's cheek, as if thinking. "You know why. Inner anguish, anger, sadness, heightens one's magical strength, almost ten times in some cases. He had it, and made it quite desirable to say the least. And," Inez saw his gaze lower to the immobile figure of Yurika on the ground, "a broken heart can sometimes break that barrier."

"A broken heart?"

"Yes, Ai-chan. Nagare-chan never cared for anyone as strongly as Yurika-chan, and when she left him because of a misunderstanding, it broke his heart." Magus smirked again. "Funny that it was My own Messenger that led My potential host to My clutches. I could not have planned it better." Inez glared at Akatsuki's body, occupied by Magus's own spirit. She never really liked Akatsuki, but he was still a person, one that had been used for someone else's gain. Magus's, in fact. With a sneer of disgust, she tapped him with her magic and watched him as he was pulled towards the ground.

Ryoko's stormy blue eyes widened as Akatsuki's body fell against the Earth and was deemed motionless. At the same time, all those who were incapable of seconds before sat up. Yurika pulled herself to her feet and went to help Jun sit up, who was clutching his chest and grimacing. Akito wrapped his left hand around his wrist and took a deep breath before standing, walking over to his lover to make sure he was all right. They all seemed to have the same idea, to make sure that no one was dead. Yurika was the first to run over to Ruri, worried over the girl, but Izumi stopped her cold. "She's fine, Kanchou. Just out of energy."

Rumiko grabbed Ryoko's hand roughly. "What are you doing!" she cried. Rumiko closed his eyes and evened his breath. "Copying you. Lady Ai has him pinned. We could easily knock him unconscious so we can work on getting Magus out of Akatsuki-san's body." Ryoko nodded, letting the Ninlandish man memorize her magic in seconds. Then, Rumiko was the first to let the earthquake in him go, holding both of his hands out to push Akatsuki to his feet as Inez lightened her own grip on him. Ryoko tapped her foot, and the ripple sent Akatsuki into the air. Hikaru immediately flung her right arm, and the winds around them that seemed to have calmed raged again, pushing the CEO of Nergal against a tree, where it seemed he would stay as long as the redhead stood as stiffly as she did, concentrating on not letting him go.

Akito, on his feet, winced as he raised his right arm. He couldn't his wrist whatsoever, but his fingers twitched and six small icicles formed. He squeezed his eyes shut against the pain, the throbbing heat that he didn't think he'd live through, but was all in his head, as the icicles grew, and grew, and grew. He flung his arm as well and cried out when the deed was done, falling to the ground and breathing heavy with the torturous agony that was his arm. He looked up to see that his aim was true.

Akatsuki was held against the tree, an icicle embedded in each hand, shoulder, and knee to keep him still and unable to fight back. He glared at them, but did not fight his bindings. The gold in his eyes flickered a bit, but still shone brightly. Inez nodded. "Good. He can't hurt us now. But we need to find out how to solve this problem before those icicles of yours, Akito, melt." Yurika stared at the restrained body of her ex-lover. In trying to set Akatsuki free, she saw exactly what Magus told Inez. Akatsuki was in love with her, and his sadness is what had started all of this. She walked over to the tree, still cautious of the God that still had control over the longhaired man. "Nagare? Is it true? You loved me?" Magus smirked, despite his host's injuries that bled like rivers. "That's right, Rika-chan. Nagare-chan loved you. Still does." Yurika shook her head, close to tears. "But… if he loved me, he wouldn't have hurt me." Her trembling hands found her neck, and felt the places where bruises would sprout, where bruises out of love and lust were just weeks before.

"Foolish girl. He didn't hurt you, I did. And that isn't all." White-hot fire blazed in her head. She clutched her forehead and fell to the now bloodstained ground. "It hurts to know you caused this all, doesn't it? If you weren't so selfish, everything would be fine and you would be on your way home. Nagare-chan may forgive you, but do they?" A toss of his head indicated the people behind her, her crewmates, and her friends. She started to sob, her patron God filling her mind with these depressing thoughts. She looked up at the body of her ex-lover to apologize to everyone and everything. But before she could part her lips, Akatsuki's body erupted in a blazing inferno.

Yurika jumped back, her green eyes wide and wet with tears of sadness and shock. Even Itsuki finally stopped playing her violin in confusion. Eyes slowly moved themselves to the blue-haired fire mage, who sat up clutching his chest with both arms. He gasped out, "You… won't… hurt her… anymore…" They knew that Jun was in love with Yurika, and hated Akatsuki for taking her from him when she was inches from his grasp, but they had no idea he was capable of killing.

The fire soon gave out, too weak to go against the huge tree, and all that was left of the CEO of Nergal were ashes, slowly being blown away by the breeze. Hikaru stopped the wind in it's tracks as Yurika, with trembling hands, touched the pile of cinders. The sight of her sooty fingers blurred as fresh tears rose into her blank, green eyes. "Nagare… no… you… you can't be…" Memories filled her mind. Meeting him for the first time, being hit on by him, fighting against him in the Last Battle of Mars, learning to care for someone who never cared for the world, giving him her virginity, threatening to castrate him if he so much as looked at another woman. His black hair, his dark eyes, the faintly dark green nanocontroller, his leer, his smirk, his kisses, his soft, loving touch…

A hand rested on her shoulder and she didn't even bother to see who it was. She leaned her head against the kind hand and sobbed, giving into her emotion. Izumi nodded, knowing what the poor captain was going through. "Goodbye, brother dear," she whispered.

Inez turned to Jun, who still sat where Ruri had initially dragged him. "Why did you kill him? We could have had him help us in suppressing Magus!" Jun shook his head, not knowing the reason behind his own actions, and having guilt be all that there was. He had killed someone. He had never killed someone before, not directly. And definitely not someone he knew. Yurika's sobs were getting to him. And absolutely not someone who was cared for by someone he loved. Threats were one thing. The actual deed was another. He sniffed, surprised. He had no idea that he, too, was crying. "I'm… I'm sorry, Yurika…"

Rumiko was solemn, but the only one who seemed to pay attention to the other aspects of the scene. "Well, then, it's good that sadness and extreme emotions can strength you." Inez turned to see what he meant, her gray-blue eyes widening. "Okay, if there was any time to focus, people, this is it."

And she was right on the money too, because there stood Magus, transparent and floating, between Izumi and Yurika and the others.

He didn't seem to be a day older than fourteen, but there was some sort of knowledge in His eyes and proved that He was much older, and much more wise. He didn't look very masculine either, with His well groomed, chin length silver hair and flawlessly pale skin. He didn't dress that way either. He wore a long silver tunic that reached past His waist, but the sleeves had been cut off mid-bicep and sewn to grip the arms. Both extensive sleeves and tunic itself had golden embroidery, but it was simple. A small diamond was attached to His shirt, impossibly, however. A loose chain was His belt, accenting His slim waist. His slippers were also silver, and the whole effect proved once and for all that he was the Silver God. Royal purple leggings and a collar finished the ensemble, marking the Magic He ruled over and His ruling in general. The cold smirk on His face was enough to stop anyone cold, but His pupil-less eyes would cause a sane man to scream in fright.

He crossed His arms, the long sleeves wrinkling as he surveyed the crowd before him with a cold smile. "You have amused Me enough, don't you think? But still, it continues to be funny. How is it that you're all so entertaining?" He tilted His head, the metallic tresses brushing His pale cheek. "But one of you needs to be restrained. A little too excited, I think. Cost Me a good host, you know?" He snapped His fingers, and Jun's hands flew from his battered chest to his head, clutching his temples as the pain of his entire life flooding his mind tenfold. The anguish seemed to be too much for the Executive Officer, ad he promptly passed out. Magus smiled. "I'll kill him later, but for now, that is enough." He turned around in midair to both Izumi and Yurika, the former pulling the latter to her feet. "You, My dear, are one to be reckoned with, despite the pure strength of that Aer's Calm behind Me." Hikaru's eyes widened at the remark. Magus was planning to kill Yurika first, and her next. Fear itself is what kept her from moving until Magus had Yurika up by her throat, once again, but this time, holding her above the ground. "You're a traitor, Rika-chan. I give you power from birth, and this is how you repay Me? Bringing those who oppose Me to My planet? Fighting against the one you owe your existence to? That's right, Rika-chan. I made you. The brilliant, happy girl with the power to influence and possess. Not to mention to Teleport through Time and Space. Amazing what a little of My work can do, ne? I'm sure at least three people here would agree with Me. Oh, but too bad, one's already dead!" Yurika couldn't respond, hell, she couldn't even breathe.

Rumiko instantly fell into meditation, sending out naked power to hurt the God that had His hands on the one person these people he had slowly become close to, needed. Itsuki followed his example, gripping her violin with white knuckles and playing as she had before, only to hurt Magus in anyway as well. Yurika, struggling to get air into her body, watch Magus's eyes roll into the direction of Rumiko and Itsuki. Rumiko's power bounced against Magus and hit him in the nose, breaking the organ in a spew of blood. The instant pain and force against his head caused Rumiko to fall to the ground, unconscious. Itsuki's bow slipped from her fingers; a mistake she never would have done, even in the heat of the moment. It flew up and bent three of her fingers back, breaking them. Her concentration broke for only a second, and it was all Magus needed to invade her mind and place a box around it, rendering her useless.

The sight of the invincible Itsuki thrown to the ground like a doll, her violin skidding away from her, drove Ryoko to fury. With a loud battle cry, the ground shook with such an intensity, pieces of it shot into the air as Ryoko rushed at the God, intent on ripping Him limb from limb. Magus finally turned to see the green-haired tomboy running towards Him at a speed that even He couldn't counter, He held Yurika in front of Him, attempting to use her as a shield.

Izumi raised her hand and twitched her fingers, as if typing or playing ukulele in midair. A flood of water surrounded Magus, making Him unable to see Ryoko until she was inches from Him, which she was when she finally swung a leg out to knock him on his back. It backfired, however, when Magus used Izumi's water as a barrier, and threw the now-trapped Ryoko to the ground. She landed on her side with a crack, but with her unconscious, she didn't feel the waves of pain that came with her broken arm. Izumi's water came right at her, obscuring her vision as she felt someone's foot against her knee, twisting it in a way that it shouldn't. As she cried out and fell, a bright silver being flashed inside her mind, and then all was dark.

Magus smiled at those left standing. "Amazing what a little tickling of the mind will do! You just make them think someone is hurting them, when all You're doing is ordering their body parts to hurt themselves! It's absolutely fascinating, don't you think?" Unable to stand, Gai glared at the God from his sitting position on the ground. He reached his hand up, then thrust it down, as lightning from no cloud whatsoever struck Magus, but did not harm him in anyway. Magus only let one hand off Yurika's neck for a moment to snap his fingers. Gai's eyes rolled into his head and he slumped forward, joining the ranks of those trapped.

Akito would not stand for it. Despite his broken wrist, he held his hand up and twitched his fingers, trying to freeze Magus in place. But with Magus using Yurika as a shield, any attempts would possibly kill his childhood friend. He was breathing heavy, trying to get Magus to let go of the Martian captain to attempt to kill him. Anything to sway the fight into their favor. As he felt foreign fingers in his mind, he could only hope that Yurika would break out on her own. The feel of the box was no better. It only proved that he was alone, even in his attempts to save Yurika and kill the one who harmed his lover.

Yukina was appalled. She couldn't do anything, really, and had stuck with getting people out of the way and such for most of the battle. But now it just wouldn't be enough. The only ones that were still capable of fighting were Yurika, Hikaru, Inez, and herself. Yurika was staying alive only because her magic was fighting against Magus's at her throat, giving her enough energy to stay conscious. Hikaru's wind kept Magus at bay, away from attacking those left, but was losing effectiveness quickly. Yukina could only think of one thing to do. She reached for Inez. "Miss Fressange! Let me copy you!"

To her shock and fright, Inez shook her head sadly. "No, Yukina. There's nothing left this time. It's completely hopeless, Yukina. Just accept it." Yukina was shocked. The Martian doctor walked over to the motionless body of her lover and laid her head in her lap. The unflappable Inez had given up.

~*~

TBC…

~*~

A/N: How many times must I say it? I'm freaking evil. ^^ Yeah. How many people should I keep a lookout for? ^^ You're all going to kill me aren't you? O.O Anyway… How did you like my total bullshitting? Action and Angst just doesn't mix at the same time, man. o.o Oh well. Okay, next time? Too many spoilers! End of the climax, definitely, some explaining, not too much though… OH and the appearance of the meaning of the title of the entire fanfic! ^^ Anything else is still tentative… Yeah. So, what's up? ^^ This Monday marks the one-year birthday of TDoNtD! Can you believe that I started writing these things to keep my mind off school and family stuff? Amazing. Yeah, anyway, I'll let you go now. And remember, Reviews equals Inflated Ego equals Faster Chapters! Ta-ta!


	22. Revolution or resolution?

A/N: Hi everyone! ^^ Amazing how one of the wussiest guys on the ship killed Akatsuki, ne? And were some of you disappointed with the fact that I didn't end the fight yet? Too bad! Yeah, I bet some of you saw Akatsuki dying from a mile away. Oh well. Why did he die? Because he had to, dammit. Yes, that's right. I was planning it for quite some time. But never mind that, what ELSE happened last time? Well, lots of people are now unconscious. The only ones left are Yurika, Hikaru, Inez and Yukina. Yurika is fighting against Magus, but not succeeding whatsoever. Hikaru is fighting as well, but doing better than Yurika. Inez has completely given up, and Yukina can't believe it. And everyone seems to be harmed in some way. Anyway, the climax will be over in this chapter. Really. And the meaning behind the title finally appears. But keep in mind, this is NOT the last chapter! We have other crud to do too. Again, dictating music choices… "Galway's Sky" from FF9. Yes, this IS where Rumiko's sister's name came from. And no, I haven't played any good portion of FF9. Anyway. Let's get the show on the road!

~*~

Yukina shook her head, unbelieving of the scene before her. Inez sat on her feet, caressing Izumi's face and mumbling things to her, in the same fashion that many of the crew had seen Izumi do to her over the past few weeks. She looked over her shoulder where the seemingly helpless captain fought against her patron God. The only thing keeping Yurika conscious was her will to fight Magus's attempts to invade her brain. But even that was weakening, as her own silver light faded more and more by the second, and Magus's grew brighter and brighter. At the same time, He was somehow capable of fighting against Hikaru's winds tugging at Him from every direction. Glancing at the redhead pilot, Yukina could tell that she was in better condition that Yurika, but she was also fading fast. Hikaru was the only one of them that had been fighting nonstop, and it was taking a toll on the artist.

Yukina fell to her knees, also losing will as Inez had. She stared at the blood-soaked ground as her hands gripped the bottom of her black skirt. She squeezed her eyes tightly. 'If everyone dies… We can't leave without them… we won't be able to go back to Earth! I… I won't get to live with Minato in peace!' Her eyebrows knit as she followed her pure instinct, for her conscious thought had left her. She slapped her hands together, and curled her middle and ring fingers, leaving only her forefingers, little fingers, and thumbs touching and up. She laid her thumbs on her forehead in the true Pentakami prayer position.

Magus grinned maniacally as He saw, for Himself, Yurika being unable to fight, slowly giving in. "Rika-chan, I only bound them for a reason. You're the one I want. I want you to watch yourself kill them all for Me. They won't die by My hand, oh no. I want you to live with the fact that you killed some of the most loyal of your crew, whether willingly or not. At Magus's words, Yurika's eyes welled with tears, blurring His image before her as He faded from sight entirely. Her eyes rolled into her head as she gave in to darkness. She didn't fall to the ground, but stayed hovering, as if Magus still had a hold on her body. Her eyes reopened, and instead of being aqua green, they shone golden, with no pupils.

Hikaru's eyes welled up as she thrust the last of her power at the captain. She didn't want to kill as Jun had, but she also knew that if Magus wouldn't be stopped, they would all die. Magus completely ignored her, and instead floated over to where Jun lay. "You cost me a good host, boy," he rasped, lifting the unconscious Executive Officer by his neck. "You got near to harming Me. That, I cannot forgive." Hikaru tried her hardest to distract Him in anyway, knowing that it would hurt ten times as much to die at the hands of his lover than by the hands of anyone else.

Yukina heard it all, and let out a sob as tears streamed down her cheeks. These people had become her family in such a short time. She didn't have anyone in her bloodline, and these people cared for her. How could they be on the brink of death, with her not able to do a thing about it? 'Please… I beg of you… Someone, anyone… help them! Please! Aqua, Terra, Flamma, Aer, I don't care who, just keep them safe and alive! Get Magus away from them!' Yukina's eyes popped open and widened when she heard a response in her head.

'Goodness, dear, it's about time. All you had to do was ask.'

Several feet away from the Jovian girl, Inez was surprised to see Izumi's eyes fly open. She was even more surprised at the difference. Instead of crimson red, Izumi eyes glowed a steady, but cold, sea blue. She no longer had pupils, just as Magus didn't. Izumi smirked at the Martian woman. "Hello, Ai-chan. Hopefully, you'll go on to sleep now… Ne, Terra?" Just then, Inez felt another sense in her mind. It felt like pine needles and sandy rocks. 'Excuse me, Ai-chan, but will you let me guide you, as Aqua is taking care of your lover?' Inez mentally nodded, knowing that help had finally arrived, hopefully in time to sway the battle in their favor. She felt her eyes glaze over as Terra took control of her mind. 'Don't worry, I'll be kind to you,' the First God reassured her. She let go and relaxed into the recesses of her brain, which just hours ago was her prison, was now her sanctuary.

Yukina smiled happily. Izumi was now standing up, Inez helping her stand. The two women's eyes were different colors from normal, Izumi's being blue and Inez's pine green. She was surprised, however, when Hikaru lowered her hands and stood staring off into the distance, a mischievous smile breaking out on her face. Closer scrutiny would tell that her normally deathly dark eyes were glowing with a sunny yellow.

The surprise that rang around the poor field between the Forest of Femininity and Somenolenthe reached Magus last, as Yurika's jaw dropped when Jun's own eyes snapped open, glaring fiery orange-red. "You haven't been a very good boy, Magus no baka." Yurika dropped Jun's body like a hot coal, for that's what he had become. Jun landed cat-like on his feet, but grasped his chest. "Damn it, Magus, did you have to hurt him so badly?"

"Magus, I'm sure the others are ready and rearing to whoop Your ass in ways you only wish were bondage sex dreams!" The bright, happy voice caught Magus's attention, and he spun to meet the grinning face of Hikaru. "After all, after over six millennia of murdering Our Messengers, let's just say We have gotten creative in Our torturing methods."

Magus glared at them, and took step back hesitantly. "How in the five hells did You all get out? I sealed Your prisons YEARS ago! I made it IMPOSSIBLE for You to work Your way out -"

"Pathetic Magus, You never thought if someone with power were to call upon Us for aid? I sense a loophole." A dirty grin marked Izumi's face. At the same time, Inez let her walk on her own, coming over to pat Yukina on the head. "Good work, Yuki-chan. You set Us free." Magus stared in disbelief at Terra, His favorite of the other Four Gods, despite that He knew Flamma and Aer longer. "Terra…"

Terra's gaze flashed over to the body of Yurika, the female body that held the immortal spirit of Magus. "Yes?" Magus's eyes welled up and He looked away. "I'm sorry…" Flamma, behind Magus now, fisted Jun's hands on his hips. "Why did You do such a thing, Magus? We were Your friends! We risked everything together, and gained extreme power together. How could You have banished Us so?" Aer sat on a rock, completely calm about the whole situation. "One word, Flamma dear. Jealousy. Ne, Magus?"

Magus hid His face, holding Yurika's head in her hands, feeling the blue-violet locks. "Yes. Yes, Aer, are You happy? It was jealousy that drove Me to trick You. Jealousy that drove Me to take Your powers away. Jealousy that drove Me to become the supreme ruler of Ninlan and learn to hate You all!"

The four Gods blinked. They had no idea that Magus had grown to hate Them. Just that He envied them for Their power. Terra caught Flamma's red eyes with His own green, telling Her that He was doing what He had to to right this. Inez walked over to Yurika, Magus's eyes over spilling with tears of shame. "Don't touch Me, Terra! Don't touch Me…" Terra did not obey, lifting Yurika's face up to gaze into Inez's. "Magus. You've bags under Your eyes." Magus knew that he did not mean Yurika's eyes. The other Gods could see His true form, even if it was hidden in a body that was not His own. Magus looked down. "Since they arrived, I've been… distracted. Watching them was like having You all back. But since I was the one who sent You away, I couldn't suddenly say 'Oh, I'm sorry, please forgive me,' now, could I?"

Flamma, who six millennia had become Magus's rival for Terra's affections, though She won out in the end, placed both of Jun's hands on Yurika's shoulders. "We were best friends, Magus. You, Me, and Aer, before We ever introduced You to Them. We loved each other, don't you remember?"

Aqua nodded Izumi's head. "It was hard speaking with You, especially with Them around, as They knew you first and best. But We learned to accept you, remember?" Aer grinned. "And then You began liked My big stupid brother, even though He and Flamma were close. It was almost before Our experiment, remember?" Magus shook Yurika's head. "It's an awful lot to remember."

"But You do remember, Magus. I know you do," whispered Terra. "I know You remember, because We remember. And We only remember because…" He glanced at Flamma for help, and She nodded Jun's head. "Love never dies, Magus. We all love each other. We always have, and always will. We don't hold a grudge against Your greed. After all, You were also the least powerful of Us, and We weren't understanding."

Magus glared at the Fire Goddess. "But I hate You! I hate You all!" A calm hand petted Yurika's hair. "And hatred never sleeps, Magus. Look what all this pent up anger has done to You. You're spontaneously attacking people for existing, and that is VERY uncalled for."

Magus let out a sob and covered His face. "What am I to do then? I've given up all I have now." Aer snorted. "Not all…" Aqua nodded, glancing over the motionless bodies around them. "Aer's right. Set them free, if You will." Magus looked at the Water God with teary golden eyes. "V… very well." He snapped His fingers, and just about all of those who lay on the ground made some sort of twitch, indicating that they now had control over their own bodies. With disoriented grunts and groggy awakenings, not many truly noticed that Hikaru, Izumi, Jun, Inez, and Yurika where all partly airborne.

Aer poked Izumi's side, getting Aqua's attention. "Well, We've done Our part, and We haven't properly seen each other in a few thousand years… I believe a make-out session is in order." Aqua smirked. "I'm only too happy to oblige, Aer-chan." But just as the two passive Gods' hosts' lips met, there was a gasp from those who had missed a good portion of the action.

"Okay, I get knocked out, my wrist gets broken, and I wake up to see Hikaru and Izumi kissing? This must be one hell of a hangover!" cried Akito, his eyes becoming larger than his frames. But Aqua and Aer weren't the only ones. Flamma and Terra had begun meeting each other once again, after being separated for such a long time. Magus rolled his golden eyes and cleared His throat pointedly. "I set them free, and You decide that it's suddenly a teenage party? If You're going to say hello, at least let Your hosts out of this!" Flamma smiled at Magus, who left Yurika's body immediately after his words. "I think that someone is upset about being the old maid." Nonetheless, both She and Terra left Jun and Inez, respectively.

Surprisingly, Terra seemed older than Magus, an estimated age of sixteen, if He wasn't over six thousand years old. His dark brown hair was bowl-cut style, brushing His ears. He had fairly dark skin, around the same color as Gai's, actually, but a few shades darker. Unlike Magus, who had looked quite feminine, Terra had a strong chin and high cheekbones, and His body structure hinted of a fairly muscular body. A loose, sleeveless, olive green tunic covered His torso, dark green hem and belt holding it tight at the edges. Under it He wore a lighter green shirt, also quite loose and hemmed tightly with dark green threads. He wore plain green leggings, similar to Magus's own leggings, but the ends were tucked into His tan, mud stained boots, as opposed to wearing slippers. Despite being fairly big, and almost a full foot over Magus's small frame, He didn't flaunt His size, almost afraid of frightening someone away with a simple movement or look. His pine green eyes were glowing spots against his dark skin, but they were separated well by his long, birdlike nose.

Terra's lover, Flamma, was another story entirely. She was almost as pale as one drained of blood, but nevertheless, freckles spotted Her near-white cheeks. Her red hair hung loose, reaching well past Her waist. Her shoulders were bare, for She wore a Ninlan style dress, obviously redesigned to be different from the norm. Her light orange blouse held tight around Her breasts and mid-bicep, holding it from falling any lower. The ends of the short sleeves were hemmed in dark red threads, tight enough to create a bulge effect in the sleeve. Her corset was worn on the outside, and was red-orange, laced with the same dark red threads that the rest of Her clothing was held together with. A bright red skirt reached the ground and hid Her feet from view, as it was long enough that it would have to be lifted to walk anywhere without tripping. In body size comparison, She was Terra's opposite, slim and small, and seeming to need protection. However, whether it be from the fire in Her red-orange, pupil-less eyes, or the fire in Her heart, it was obvious who was in charge in Their relationship.

"Flamma never let me have My way with Her, you know, Aqua? So this would be my first time with a woman…" Aer grinned and squeezed Izumi's breast, forcing the God of Water to blush insanely. Terra glared at His sister. "Aer! Get out of Hikaru-chan's body!" Aer frowned. "Poo. You never let Me have any fun, Terra. Never have." Aqua shook His head. "He's right, Aer. Out." Aqua left Izumi's body first, who collapsed immediately due to her dislocated knee. Inez ran to catch her. Aqua nodded at the Martian doctor. "She'll be fine, in time."

Aqua was, undoubtedly, the smallest of them all, being only taller than Ruri and Yukina. He had large, sea blue eyes that glowed with a humorous coldness that sarcasm in itself could only supply. His wild, turquoise hair framed His feminine face perfectly, and flowed down His back in a cascade that fell only as far as the small of His back. He was somewhat skinny, being slimmer than even his younger sister Flamma. Instead of the standard tunic and leggings that both Terra and Magus wore, Aqua wore a full length kimono instead, the wrinkles looking more like ripples in the smooth blue silk of many shades: sea blue, dark blue, navy blue, soft blue. A dark blue sash held the kimono closed, but it hung low on His hips, making the top part fairly loose, and He let it open partly to show part of His somewhat pale, but not very, chest. Despite His small size, a sort of wisdom trickled behind the cynicism in His eyes, proving that He had a love of knowledge and would not let that treasure go to waste. This wisdom also confirmed any suspicions of His age, for though He did not look it, He was the oldest of all Five Gods, but only by being a year older than Terra.

Aer was reluctant to leave the redhead's body, but when she did, she was obviously pouting. The slightly angry frown marred the face that often saw smiles and grins. She was taller than both Aqua and Flamma, obviously having some of the same height genes as her older brother. She seemed about thirteen, like Flamma, but it was almost impossible to detect who was older of the two. Aer's light blonde hair billowed in wild frizzes to her shoulders, where they decided to all go in their own direction. Her skin was not pale, but it was not as dark as Terra's. Just sun-kissed. Her clothing was much less elaborate than Flamma's dress, as it seemed it was designed for lots of running around in the outside, which Aer was known to do. It was a one-piece yellow dress that reached mid-thigh, with elegant sleeves that were both long and draped over her hands, almost hiding them. She wore a sleeveless, long vest over the sunny dress, goldenrod in color and fastened with topaz buttons. Her smile returned, and somehow, it mirrored both the giggly grin of Hikaru and the lopsided smile of Gai at the same time, perfectly.

Inez bowed her head, smiling softly as she helped her lover stand. "So You finally show Your faces." Rumiko was on his knees, bowing with great respect to the Five. "Please forgive Lady Ai, Hodorable Odes, for her sobewhat rude rebarks. She was raised away frob Didladdish traditiod," pleaded Rumiko, his broken nose getting in the way of his speech. Terra rolled his eyes. "Magus, he really is Yours. Stick a piece of coal in his ass and You'll probably get a diamond." Magus smirked. "And of course, that is My favorite crystal." Hot fingers grasped His pale ear and yanked, hard. Flamma set her mouth close to the ear in Her grip. "If You don't behave, Your punishment at home will be much worse, I assure You."

A slight whimper stopped the slight bickering. Yurika looked up at Them with teary eyes. "How could You be so cold? Magus… You caused my best friend to kill someone who loved me, and only for jealousy? How selfish can You be?" Aqua slapped the back of Magus's head. "You asshole! I knew You were killing off Our Messengers, but did you have to do it in plain sight of those they were close to?" Magus rubbed His head, mussing His silver tresses slightly. "The executions weren't ever in the plain sight of people. Hell, the executions weren't even MY idea!" Yurika glared at her patron God. "But why? Why did You try to kill us? What could They have done to justify the slaughter?" Magus closed His eyes, obviously hurt by the question. "I suppose you have the right to know."

Magus folded His arms behind His back and kept His eyes closed. "The Four can control nature itself. Nature is merciful most of the time, but it can, and will kill humans. It wasn't My idea for the executions, but I have become slightly numb to them. Humans are wonderful things, don't you think? And so easily manipulated… some of the best toys around, I'd say." Magus's mouth curled into a wistful smile, obviously caught up in the thought. "But humans will eventually die. Someday there won't be anymore humans, ever. Where will I be then? My power relies on humans. They depend on Me, and I depend on them. But the Four wouldn't ever understand, you know? Their powers rely on things that don't die, or will always be. Next you know, I'm a powerless immortal with nothing to do but wait until the universe decides to collapse." Magus's pale, slim hands clenched into fists. "No one will collapse Me. No one. And I will not allow Myself to become powerless. So I grew jealous of the Elements, and slowly but surely seduced each and every single one of Them into submission, taking down the Pentakami Church and set up so they would worship only Me. Sealed the Elements away so They would never escape unless someone asked for Them to be set free, or for aid. Which, "He flashed a golden glance at the Jovian girl, "finally was unlocked by the words of a weak Calm of Mine."

Aer smiled smugly. "And with Him sealing Us away for so long, longer than We had been in true power, We grew stronger, stronger than He could ever imagine." Aqua crossed his arms. "In other words, Magus, when We get home, You're seriously fucked, in layman's terms."

Itsuki continued to cradle her injured hand, as if holding a baby. "Something here isn't right. If You're Gods, how were You created? You keep talking about being mortal once, right?" The tremble in her voice showed her fright for her hurt hand, almost afraid of her future as a musician and a mage. Aer flapped a hand at the violet-haired pilot. "Don't worry, your hand will heal fine. In fact, everybody's everything will be back to normal over time. Magus couldn't kill you, you know." Aqua nodded. "And the dead are remorseful of their exit, but understanding of the situation. My little sister's Rage can rest now." Jun did not however, still truly upset over his deeds, and sat staring at his hands.

Itsuki glanced at the colorful, transparent entities. "Aren't You going to answer my question?" Aqua nodded. "Yes, but it takes much more explaining than We have the energy for. But, as an intellectual myself…" He pointed to Izumi and snapped His fingers. Izumi's crimson eyes went wide as visuals, ideas, explanations of the Gods rising entered her head. Aqua lowered His hand. "And there they will stay until it is reported, okay, Izumi-chan?" Izumi understood. As soon as she could recount everything on paper for the world, it would finally leave her mind. She wouldn't even have to struggle to hold on to every detail.

Aer raised her hand, grinning. "One last explanation on My part, please!" Flamma glanced at her wrist, almost as if looking at a watch. "Please, Aer-chan. We don't have all day. Sun goes down in-" Aer stuck Her tongue out at Her best friend. "come on, I know these people have been wondering about My little Rage, so PLEASE let me explain why he's still alive!" A gasp came from the Martian cook. Of course, they had almost forgotten. The suspended animation phenomenon.

Gai's eyebrows had shot up at the Goddess of Air's words. He had always wondered why he was the only one who could cheat death on a regular basis, but to actually think it had something to do with magic… "Wait a freakin' minute here. If nanomachines are what give someone the ability to use magic, how the hell does my condition have anything to do with it? I didn't get that injection till I was almost eighteen!" Aer floated over and patted him on the head, giggling. "Silly Jiro-chan! I liked you a lot! In fact, I had damn good plans for your older brother, but he died when he was a baby, remember? Oh, that's right. You weren't alive yet. Well, I got the brilliant idea to give you only SOME of My power, instead of making you a mage, because I just couldn't do THAT… So I gave you some of My Rage, since My Rages don't die until their time comes! I knew you'd make a difference in Our world! I mean, heck, We wouldn't have even been set free if you weren't alive to find Ninlan for your crew! So I made it so you wouldn't die until it was time, and trust Me, it's not time for a long time, Jiro-chan!" With that, She hugged him tightly, Her cheeky grin still adorning Her face.

Akito scowled, not daring to cross his arms because of his broken wrist. "Aer, if I didn't know any better, I'd say You were hitting on my man." Aqua chuckled. "It's so funny when Our Messengers backtalk, don't You agree, Aer-chan?" Terra rolled His eyes at His best friend and sister. "If You two are done flirting and flitting about, could we possibly go home?" Flamma nodded, putting a hand you Her forehead. "Yes, I do feel quite faint from the effort, despite all Our energy reserves." Aer floated back over to Her fellow Gods, and raised a hand in greeting. "Well, bye! Gotta go home now!"

Inez started, her jaw dropping. "Wait, wait, there are other things to be addressed! What of the Pentakami?" Magus nodded to His former captives. "Right. What of My temple?" Terra nodded to Aqua, indicating that the cynical water spirit take control of this one. Aqua chewed on His bottom lip. "Well, I would almost say that His temple is null and void, and all things pertaining to as well." Aer let out a whoop. "Yeah! Pentakami church all the way, BABY!" Flamma slapped Her arm. "You're making a scene." They started to fade again, but Inez had another pressing matter. "But who will head it? The head of the church is the head of the planet, and how will this be proved to the officials of the Temple of Magus?" Terra glared at the silver mind spirit, who sighed reluctantly. He closed His eyes and snapped His fingers. Reopening His pupil-less eyes, He glared at the Martian doctor. "They all now know. Happy?" Flamma gripped His arm. "We need a head still. Terra?" Terra scanned over the small band in front of Them, finally pointing to Rumiko. "He'll do it. He's bastardly enough. Can We go home now?" Inez nodded slowly, realizing They were addressing her. With various goodbyes and wishes to be well, They disappeared, reentering Their immortal bodies hundreds of miles away.

Izumi gripped her head, unable to sort through her thoughts. "They're… not Gods!" Inez regarded her younger lover. "What?" Izumi nodded, still clutching her temples. "They aren't Gods… but humans that changed our universe with… certain experiments…" Inez patted her head. "You'll be able to write the report soon."

Those who could stand, did, helping those who couldn't to their feet and towards the ship. Inez shook her head. "No need to worry now. But remember, that was probably the first step to closure. We still have a long way back to earth, not to mention healing…" She glanced at the captain, her green eyes blank. "Kanchou." Yurika stood, and nodded, gathering herself together. "I know. I'll grieve later. Too much to worry about now. Healing and such." Her voice was still raspy from magus's attempts to choke her. Inez nodded. "I understand," she whispered, as the crew hobbled back onto the ship they called their home.

~*~

TBC…

~*~

A/N: I have a habit for the anticlimactic, for it seems so much more realistic. The end of hardship doesn't end with a big bang, as we all expect a story worth telling should. Okay, some things to clear up real quick, regarding the atmosphere of this episode. Believe it or not, but the gods were fucking PISSED. They're just good at hiding it until the appropriate time. And many things needed to be explained in the hour or so that they were there, otherwise they would never know. And Magus WILL be being whipped when he gets home, poor bastard. I was starting to like that maniacal asshole. Oh well. Well, everyone's still a little upset, and some actually saddened by the loss of Akatsuki. Well, if I didn't put that out well enough, I just suck, okay? Anyway… Yes, that was the anticlimactic end to the wrath of Magus. Why was it so weak? Because the gods respect him as a person. Oops, did I just give something away? ^^ Wow, lots of having to redeem myself in here. Anyway… Well, let's recap then. Yukina asked for the help of the other four gods, and they answered because that was the key to releasing them. Because Magus had been focusing on himself and forcing people to worship him only, it hasn't happened in six thousand years. Magus did not like the other mages to live, but he did not want them spreading anything. Thus started the executions. And other explanations for things… and crud. And, next time. Well, I hope you liked this story. ^^ Yep, that's right, next chapter's last, and a doozy, I predict! Can't tell you the end, because you'll all die! ^^ Anyway, until next time, review me if you like, for it makes me feel all special and fuzzy inside, because you people care enough to give feedback! ^^ See ya! 


	23. Home again

A/N: Hello all you flunkies! Well, this is it. The last chapter of the second fanfic. How have you been enjoying this series? I know, things have been pretty wonky from the start, but life is wonky, and realism is always fun. Anyway. You song person? "Staff Roll" from FF7. Because it is the last chapter and the end of the book. What do I see happening, without giving too much away? Stuff, saying goodbye, relationship stuff, the explanation, more goodbyes, and something to lead us into the next book. ^^ Yep, that's right! There will be another one after this! But I need a break, man! So, um, yeah. And I think this one may be longer than the usual for this one, and stuff. But yeah. Let's get on to finishing this thing.

~*~

Despite Yurika's words that they would be departing from Ninlan at the end of the week, the Nadesico did not go anywhere for the rest of June. But the part of the crew that was so ready to leave were not angry in the least bit. After all, a brutal battle that left one dead and many of their own injured had taken place, and healing was required, after all. They just saw it as a setback for the inevitable, and continued just doing what they had before.

The first few days, it was safe to be worried. After the battle with Magus, most of the mages went sent to bed, where they stayed in a dreamless slumber for nearly three full days. But, as it was explained later by a book toting Megumi, it was expected as they had used most of their energy reserves and were feeling the effects. It was better for them to stay in bed. But when they had finally woken up, Inez put the uninjured Hikaru. Yukina, and Ruri to work healing the others, Ruri magically and Hikaru and Yukina traditionally. That was when most of the whining took place. However, in the course of a week the least hurt were spit out of the infirmary, healed for the most part.

Yurika went on to take her position as captain once again, but was not her happy self anymore. Rumiko was sent back home, where he finally relayed the story to Igadosu, who insisted that he send a messenger bird to Carmina immediately, stating his rank now. Izumi took up almost permanent residence in Inez's laboratory, using the blonde's laptop to write the report of information on the Gods to empty her near-swelling brain. With those with broken bones having to stay in the infirmary, despite their demands to leave, Yukina was free to go, her presence and help in the hospital wing no longer required.

Hikaru was also free to do as she pleased, and despite her head telling her to get started on her manga, her heart had told her to stay with Jun, and keep the man from thinking about unpleasant things, such as the blood on his hands. The others did not have so much of a problem, but they were not joyous. Mainly, it was worry about two simple words. "What now?"

With the mages, some of which were keys to helping them Jump, mostly out of commission, the mechanics and Uribatake took this time to move the Jump Computer into the cave they had found weeks before. Inez wasn't as upset as they had expected, with her nod of acceptance to the relic's fate. Omoikane, on the other hand, was a little sad, feeling that he was losing a friend. But after finally seeing that Ruri was truly all right, not hurt and just overworked, made him feel much better.

The mechanics would have also lined the ship with CCs if Inez had asked them to, but she requested that they did not. For one thing, they would not be Jumping until they had gotten out of the atmosphere, for fear of creating another Jump field on the planet. For another, it wouldn't be required anyway, as Inez emphasized. With the computer being on the ship as long as it was, the Nadesico was already a permanent Jump field. This worried some at first, but she reassured them that it was not so much a bad thing.

Rumiko's position was not really known at first. In fact, it wasn't for a few weeks that he himself had realized the implications of him being the head of the Pentakami church. Magus's temple had been overridden by the once-ancient Pentakami religion. The Gods had deemed it so. But what did this mean for the ruling of Ninlan? Lord Mythos Entrada was Emperor simply because he was the First Priest of the Temple of Magus. But with that gone, what was Mythos? And what was Rumiko, the head of the now acceptable religion on the Planet of Magic?

In Somenolenthe, the fields between the farmlands of the town and the Forest of Femininity was all the proof the villagers needed to see that the raven-haired man was telling the truth about the Pentakami and such. They helped him fix up the temple into a respectable church. Many were not easily swayed into picking up ancient habits, but a trip to the blood-stained grounds that shone brightly for anyone who needed proof was all they needed to know that the God of Spirit had been smitten by the Elemental Gods. Surprisingly, Igadosu was one of the ones that was helping to prove that Rumiko had been chosen to head this church. Rumiko never really learned how he did it, but he somehow did, though it was a bit unnerving to go into a local shop and be known as "Lord Rumiko".

Finally, Rumiko sent a messenger bird to Carmina, thanks to the urging of his mentor Igadosu, stating that the Temple of Magus be refuted immediately, by the order of the gods. The near-immediate response was telling him that he was a fool and the proper authorities were informed of his heresy. Rumiko sent back the reply that stated simply, "Oh, really?" It also included a photograph by Megumi of the standard proof they were using. The response was written in calligraphic, yet shaky, writing, stating that Mythos had had a vision telling him that if he didn't step down immediately, the Gods Themselves would take him out of the picture. It stated that Mythos was leaving his position as both First Priest of Magus and the Emperor of Ninlan.

The second part is what had amazing Rumiko. Igadosu told him that, since Magus had chosen Mythos as Emperor, and the other Gods refuted this, the head of the Pentakami church was now in charge. In short, Rumiko had gained the position of ruling the planet without even knowing it.

Strangely enough, this realization didn't change Rumiko much, which made Inez realize just what Terra meant by saying that Rumiko was bastardly enough to head the church and the planet. He was already overwhelmingly bossy and stubborn, that the idea of him suddenly being Emperor of Ninlan didn't change much.

However, as the main priest of the town that seemed to be changing into the capital of Ninlan, with all the new residents and such, Rumiko knew he had certain duties to do, things that would have otherwise been the duties of a certain captain that wouldn't be able to handle this certain job in her current state.

~*~

The very first service in the renovated church was the single thing everyone dreaded. Particularly dreaded by Jun and Yurika. Rumiko had the help of both Hikaru and Igadosu, so all that lay ahead of him was to speak to these people. Hikaru had gathered the ashes and put them in the obsidian urn that Igadosu provided, who also provided all the other requirements for the funeral ahead of them.

Rumiko's formal silver robes itched. It was one thing that stayed in his mind as he gripped the ebony podium; trying to fool himself to thinking that this was not one of Lady Ai's students, a member of the Nadesico's crew, anything of the sort. He had never really talked to the cocky pilot and CEO of a big Earth company before, not much at all, and he felt inappropriate the conduct the ceremony. He looked out into the mass of people that had both chosen to come because they were crewmembers, and out of curiosity. One stood out in his amber eyes, one of the few that were required to be there and came because she needed too. Yurika.

Yurika, like all the other mages, was also dressed in formal robes, though theirs were much less showy as Rumiko's. However, unlike the others, she wore a black tunic over the silver robes, showing that she was definitely in mourning. Her blank, teary green eyes gave away her true feelings, even if her normally smiling mouth was set in a firm line, trembling occasionally with the effort to not wail out loud. She truly did love Akatsuki, despite her distrust of him. Her own words that left her mouth months before were lost on herself. She didn't trust the rich gravity mage, but she loved him anyway. She would never trust him with her life, but she had trusted him with her body and heart. The fact that he was gone, that she would never even see him again was too much for the Martian captain, but she did not speak.

Rumiko shook his head, pushing some of his thick black hair out of his face and his glasses more snugly on his face. With a slight glance to Megumi in the crowd, who nodded encouragingly, he cleared his throat and began.

"Friends and acquaintances of the deceased, we gather to bid goodbye to those no longer among us and good luck to those left behind. Sometimes death chooses the wrong victim, for the wrong reason, and that is the fate that Akatsuki Nagare faced, and followed to the letter. His greatest downfall was also his death, and for this, we are regretful. Of course, we don't so much regret the death of this man, who had given up his will in the end, as those who must live without him. Misumaru-san, may I request that you speak of the man that all here knew of, but only you truly knew?"

Yurika's eyes finally spilled over as she made eye contact with the new Emperor of Ninlan. She shook her head furiously, knowing that all that would happen if she stood on that podium would be her screaming and crying. Inez stood instead, grimly announcing, "I have known Nagare since his childhood. I will speak in Misumaru-san's place." Rumiko nodded and stepped aside from the podium, allowing the Martian doctor to come up and speak of her knowledge of the man they were saying their final goodbyes to.

"Nagare was raised to be the way he was," was Inez's opening statement. She knew full well that the crew saw him as a heartless bastard, but it was when she was a child that she knew who Akatsuki really was, even past his parents' teachings. "He wasn't cold without a purpose. When he was a child, he was happy, and he thought he could do anything. This was compounded with the fact that Rinji, his older brother, was the one being forced to follow the family. As I got older, I had become Nagare's idol, and he began dreaming of becoming a doctor. Just like me. But when Rinji had his accident, and died himself, Nagare's life became, in short, hell." Inez paused, remembering that fateful day. She had been ordered to marry the heir to Nergal, but refused due to her own sexual preferences and Rinji's dedication to his own fiancée. Rinji had been the only one that was her age, and the news of his death was like losing her best friend. When Akatsuki had been informed, his dreams crumbled before his eyes as his father redirected the last son left's life. "Nagare never wanted the company. But he was forced to take it. And with it came the reluctance to care about others, the heartlessness and ruthlessness that everyone here remembers him by. His own family had betrayed him, and though it made him one of the most powerful men in the world and colonies, it was not what he wanted to do with his life. Thus, he gave into the qualities that his family gave him, and became who we know today." Inez paused again, realizing that the idea of yet another person from her childhood was gone was but a pang in her heart, but went on. "He gave in to temptation and let his defenses go for a bit. And with that, he was hurt again, but someone that did not care brought him up. He must have been tormented before he was released in death. And for that, I am thankful." With that finally said, she went back to her seat, and Rumiko took the podium once again.

"Everyone is human and has qualities that not everyone likes. Akatsuki Nagare was the epitome of this truth. And in respect for the one that proved to us all that no one is perfect, we bid goodbye." Rumiko stared at the ebony wood of the podium, seeing his already pale hands grip it until his knuckles were white. It was one thing to watch others you hadn't seen and talked to, known those who'd known the person, die, but Akatsuki was another matter entirely.

He didn't even realize that the church was emptying itself, and several cries of anguish escaped the Martian captain's mouth, and he barely felt the Igadosu's hand on his shoulder in reassurance and comfort. But he did feel Megumi wrapped her arms around his waist, squeezing tightly as if he needed the knowledge that she was there for him. But as he glanced at her, he could see that she herself was crying.

~*~

Megumi surprisingly relayed how she had also cared for Akatsuki to Rumiko once they were at his house. Despite him being the recently sworn Emperor of Ninlan, he still lived his small, one-room house. Megumi didn't mind though. As long as her sleeping chair was still in the house, she wouldn't care about any of it.

"Akatsuki was also so elusive, and I was probably one of the only girls on the ship that he never flirted with. Possibly because he knew I was kind of devoted to Akito at the time, but Yurika was more devoted that anyone could ever imagine. But, maybe he really was as shallow as everyone said he was. I'm not exactly a very curvy girl, you know. But somehow he was a goal for me to reach. Then when I began having those dreams about you, I was so sure that it was him… But I never really noticed how much the crew of the Nadesico means to me, all of them, until he passed away." Megumi bit her lip, noticing her slip-up of her own devotion to the rugged old ship that had been the only place for her for two years now.

Rumiko noticed it as well, holding his warm cup of tea with both hands at the table. He looked into the liquid a little uncertain about what he was about to ask. "So… you're going to leave with them?" A loaded question, and one the Megumi just didn't know the answer to. She wrapped her arms around her petite torso, still clad in one of her Ninlan-style dresses. "I… I don't know." She glanced out the window and watched the sun slowly pull itself out of the sky in an orange fire. "I… always assumed I would… but then I started assuming I'd stay… but I love the Nadesico. I never really said it. Everyone else I know loves the ship like home, but I don't know where my home is anymore."

Rumiko closed his amber eyes at Megumi's words. It was two days until the Nadesico was definitely scheduled to leave. Her indecisiveness was not a comfort. She had been on that ship, lived on it for two years. She had fought, watched people die, reported things with her beautiful voice for two years out of nineteen. The only two years where she was seen as someone very important, an adult. But at the same time, she had made a place at the shack that was Rumiko's home for all of his twenty-three years. Rumiko could no longer look at his reading chair and see it as only a reading chair. For the past four months, it was Megumi's chair. The chair where she always slept. Rumiko couldn't imagine it being anything else but Megumi's chair. He ran his tongue over his somewhat chapped pale lips, having difficulty wording his feelings, and kicking himself because of this. "I… I'd really like you to stay, Meg."

Megumi stared at Rumiko, who still sat with his eyes closed, as if hiding from the younger woman. She knew he fancied her; after all, they had kissed just before he fell ill. And he was never good at speaking his feelings, as she knew from the same encounter. But he was somewhat antisocial, and not one to focus on people at all. Megumi knew he missed his sister, and that he cared for the communications officer, but that was the extent. But what he was asking of her, as difficult as it was for him to get out, was a step in a complete other direction. "Rumiko… Are you asking me to stay on Ninlan? With you?"

Rumiko nodded slowly. "Meg, you're the only person that's completely frank to me, but still caring for one's feelings. You're just as stubborn as me, and the only person that still sees me the same as before, even without my title and all that. And the only person that doesn't think I'm still just a kid, too excitable, or an asshole in general." His normally pale face was flaring red, betraying his compliments of her and such. He wasn't just being nice and asking as a friend, Megumi knew. He was asking as something more.

Megumi stood and leaned over the table, trying to catch Rumiko's eyes with her own without touching him. "Rumiko, I need to know. I think I have a pretty good idea of what this is about, but I need to hear you actually say it. Rumiko, you love me don't you?" The swift blush that covered most of the visible pale skin of the young Emperor verified that the former voice actress was right. But still, she needed to hear him say it. "Rumiko! Answer me!"

Rumiko glared at her. "Yes, all right! Yes! I do love you, okay? Are you happy now?" He instantly looked away, feeling like a fool for giving in to any emotion, especially one that could easily hurt someone. "You've been too close to me for too long. You've had an effect on me, Meg." Megumi smiled at him, aware that this made her freckles stand out just a bit more than normal. "I kind of figured you did. But…" her smile drooped, and harsh reality slapped her in the face once again. "Oh God, now I don't know what to do. I want to stay with the people that are my friends on the Nadesico, like Minato and Ruri and, hell, even Yurika! But…" She frowned, "I don't want to go, because Ninlan is too much like what I've dreamed of living in. And someone actually loves me, you, and I don't really want to leave it behind…" Megumi sat in her chair again, contemplating the pros and cons of both leaving and staying. Then she nodded to herself. "I've decided," she announced. Rumiko made eye contact with her again, and she nodded. "Yes, I will."

~*~

Inez was reviewing the chances she had calculated of them having a successful Jump without the computer and to the present or future, instead of the past, when something heavy was dropped on her desk, causing it to shake. She looked up from her clipboard to see Izumi standing there, crossing her arms after she had dropped what seemed like a dead body, for all it's weight, on her desk. Inez glanced at the stack of papers that couldn't have possibly have been so heavy, but were, and back to her lover. "I assume this is about the Gods, right?" Izumi nodded slowly, and Inez could see the bags under the water mage's eyes, considerably dark against her pale skin. Inez waved her to a chair and stood, staring at the pile of papers with interest. However, her frustrated headache flared up, yelling at her for putting what she needed to do off, but Inez pushing the voice away, curiosity getting the better of the Martian doctor. However, the sheer size of the report was enough to repel even the knowledge-thirsty woman. She crossed her arms and nodded at her lover. "Care to give me an overview?" Izumi shrugged. "Sure. That is a little intense if you can't follow it." She cleared her throat and began.

"Like I said before, way back when, the Gods are human, just immortal and somehow blessed with certain powers. They weren't born that way, though They were friends before Their little experiment." Inez opened her painted mouth to ask about the experiment, but a sharp look from the younger woman silenced her. "They had heard somewhere about other planets in the solar system, but that they were inhabited because of certain conditions that just couldn't be met. At the same time, They had feared that death would soon take them. Back then, the age of death was around twenty, mostly because of all the plagues that reeked the planet at the time. Aqua, the smartest of all five of Them, came up with a small machine, the first of its kind, that would allow Them to live through the plagues by ridding Their bodies of the ability to die by disease. It would cause Them to live much longer than expected, but They had no idea what it would truly do to them. And they HAD to be injected into one's bloodstream. Terra volunteered to be the first to under Aqua's experiment. For months afterwards, there was nothing wrong with Him. But one night He left His body, floating in nothingness. This is when He realized that He had certain powers; ones that They had no clue would be bestowed on Him. He returned to His body the next morning, and found that He no longer had pupils. He could still see wonderfully, and His powers were retained, so He knew it wasn't just a dream. But by that morning, they seemed to restrict themselves the things relating to the planet, like rocks, plants, earthquakes, and gravity itself. It was then that Aqua realized that His experiment was a success, and injected the machines into His own body. A few months later, Aer did the same, and a few days later, Flamma, and then Magus. A generation went by before they realized that something was going on here. They hadn't aged a day. In fact, They were immortal in general. Aqua returned to His notes and created a total different kind of the machine, one that wouldn't make people immortal, but it would allow them to use certain aspects of Their newfound powers. At the same time, Terra requested that He make the machines capable of cultivating tired soil, and Aer convinced Him to have them capable of creating oxygen. Spreading them along the planet, Aqua realized that He could just as easily send them to the other planets They had heard so much about in Their days of mortality. Thus was the rise of the Martian empire, and the Jupiterian empire, not to mention how their Messengers were created. They holed themselves off into a remote part of Ninlan, and periodically left Their bodies to check on some of Their Messengers."

Inez nodded slowly, realizing how much this made sense. "So the nanomachines, as we already knew, are the key to magic, but only because they are tied to natural workings, but because the Gods made them that way. They injected themselves with them, but since they are the archaic forms of what we use today, instead of making a symbol on Their hands, they got rid of Their pupils, and because a nanomachine is built to work biologically, it can control things in nature because everything comes from nature initially. Fascinating…" Izumi nodded. "It's really kind of amazing, if you think about it."

"Yes, it truly is." Inez smiled at her lover. "Your intellect never ceases to amaze me." Izumi blushed slightly at the compliment. "You just want to get laid, don't you, Inez?" Inez's smile went from kind to evil in a few seconds. "And you would refuse?" Izumi's smile mirrored the older woman's. "Why would I?"

~*~

For many the departure of the Nadesico came only too soon. With almost a fourth of the crew deciding to stay on Ninlan, rather than head back home, many stating that they didn't want to deal with all of the politics that the Nadesico was going to be caught up in, the hours before the take-off were full of tearful goodbyes and reassurances that Rumiko would be communicating immediately with the other nations in the solar system. But most that were staying weren't major members of the crew, but when one member announced that they would be staying, the most tearful goodbye took place, possibly the most influential in all of them.

"What do you mean, you're staying, Megumi?" Yurika hadn't spoken much in the past few weeks, but this was enough to make a mute scream. Megumi nodded, smiling brightly, happy with her decision. "Don't get me wrong, I love you all and stuff but… I've done my bit on Earth. I've made my name known. I have a whole new planet to work with here, you know?" Minato smirked at her best friend; not letting her see how sad she was that she was going to stay. "Not to mention that Megumi has a certain special someone to keep her happy here…" Megumi blushed. "Stop it Minato, you're making me red!"

Minato didn't stop, however. "And to quote a certain pilot, 'Whatever shall we do, not hearing Megumi-chan's sweet voice when we awaken in the evil morning?'" Megumi glared at the former secretary. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say you'd miss me." Minato sighed and hugged the purple-haired girl. "Of course I'll miss you, Meg. You're one of the few people on this ship that are actually sane. It'll be weird looking over at your seat and seeing Yukina there instead of you. Besides," she let go and held her out at arms' length, "who will help me spread the gossip on the grapevine? We have a reputation to uphold, after all." Megumi smiled. "You'll just have to live without me, I guess. You can still spread the juicy stuff around, can't you?" Minato nodded, hugging her once again. "Once Rumiko has contact with Earth, you write me or give me a call, okay? We'll go out shopping or something, okay?" Megumi nodded, giving her busty counterpart a tight hug in parting.

Yurika took a deep breath and face her rival once again. "Minato's right, Megumi. We'll really miss you telling us to get out of bed, and talking about us behind our backs." Yurika forced smile told Megumi that Yurika was being sincere, but she just couldn't be very happy for anything at the moment. The former communications officer stuck out her hand, waiting for a handshake to settle things once and for all. "I know I haven't been one of your favorite people on this ship, and I've been deathly jealous of you for some time now, but I just want to know that we can put all that aside. Friends?" Yurika grabbed her hand immediately, giving it a few soft shakes before pulling Megumi into a desperate hug. "Good luck with Rumiko-san, Meg. We'll miss you dearly. The Nadesico won't ever be the same." Megumi nodded. Yurika let go of the girl, a little teary at saying goodbye. "And don't be a stranger. I want in on those shopping trips too." Megumi smiled at her former captain. "Sure… Yurika."

Rumiko would have come to rescue Megumi from all the sad goodbyes, but Igadosu was informing him of something he wasn't sure he was ready to hear. "Rumiko, I know you've depended on me this whole time, but you've got Miss Rainerd to help you now. I'll help you a little bit if you have questions, but all I'll do really is be a magic teacher."

"Are you nuts, Igadosu? I need you! And I can teach just fine!" Igadosu shook his head. "I'm afraid you have to realize your responsibilities, and you can't do that with me hovering over you all the time. Megumi will do fine as a helper, and I'll still be there to answer questions! And you have enough on your shoulders as it is. You don't need to add teaching on there as well."

Rumiko turned away. "But you've always been there to help me… And this is when I need it most, and you leave me? I can't do this on my own, and Meg is from Earth! Though she's studying, she couldn't possibly know as much about Ninlan as you! And I… I'm not too confident about being Emperor. I need someone to guide me, you know?" Igadosu put his hands on Rumiko's shoulders. "You'll be fine! You worry too much. You were strong enough to go against our teachings, go against the former emperor, to go against Magus himself, and stake claim on your title, and you still think you need my help?" Igadosu sighed and shook his head. "You can do so much more than you believe. You're more stubborn that I have ever seen, not even me. Your will is great, and your perseverance is to be admired. If you think you can't do this, you're more delusional than I had ever dreamed." Rumiko's eyebrows knit. He had no idea that the old man thought so highly of him. He just thought he was the butt of the temple's jokes.

Igadosu took advantage of Rumiko's shocked violence. "The Gods knew what They were doing when they chose you. Don't let Them regret it, will you?" Rumiko nodded. "I… I'll do what I can."

"That's better."

~*~

Yurika stood exactly where she had a few months ago, in the same position, holding the same key, with the same intent. She took a deep breath and inserted the master Key, realizing then that she was now the only one, at all, how could take it out or put it back in. She shook the emotion out of her head and announced, "Master Key inserted, Nadesico is now unlocked!"

All of the Nadesico's systems immediately came back up, almost excited to be working again after months of dormancy. "Status, Ruri!" Ruri's amber eyes scanned all of Omoikane's screens, who stood silent and staring blankly into the distance. "Distortion field generator coming online. PT engines starting up, all other systems now online." Minato nodded. "All systems nominal, Kanchou!" Yurika nodded. "Let's get out of here, Ruri. You know the drill." The silver-haired princess nodded, watching her pale hands twitch on the console. "All engines, vertical thrust." The Nadesico shook with activity, rising into the air. Most of the crew kept their fingers crossed until the Nadesico cleared the trees a few seconds later. Then there was a considerable amount of cheering and, for the first time in a while, Yurika gave a smile. "Ruri, how much longer until we clear the atmosphere?"

"About fifteen more minutes, as Ninlan's atmosphere is considerably thinner than that of Earth." Yurika nodded and slumped in her chair. She wouldn't have to worry for another fifteen minutes. Which was starting to look like a very long time.

Nevertheless, fifteen minutes went by without a hitch, and Yurika was startled when Ruri reported, "We have cleared the atmosphere, Kanchou." Yurika nodded, and glanced to Inez on the lowest level of the bridge. Inez shook her head, indicating that Yurika wouldn't have to come down. Yurika's look was that of confusion. She was one of the few Jumpers on the ship, hell, the world, and she wouldn't have to help Miss Fressange Jump the ship back to Earth?

Instead, she watched as Inez beckoned Ryoko and the two left. Yurika's eyebrows knit. "What the hell…"

~*~

Inez led Ryoko, not the laboratory like the tomboy had expected, but to the observation deck. "What do you need me for, Miss Fressange?" she finally asked, a little weirded out by this. Inez turned to her and stared her down, as if daring her to leave the room. "Ryoko, you are aware that you are the most talented pilot we have. You're not a fantastic mage, but you are a pretty good one nonetheless. But there's one little thing that we're not sure if you're good at or not, and this is what I will evaluate." Ryoko sat down in the fake grass and cocked her head, wondering just what Inez meant. "Well, what is it?" Inez's painted lips turned up into a smile that was not comforting, but almost powerful.

"I'd like you to think about Earth. Or any place around Earth. A colony, the moon, Mars, whatever. And, preferably, sometime in the future. Not too far, however." Ryoko's jaw dropped. "Miss Fressange, are you asking me to Jump the ship back?" Inez nodded. "I want to know if you can do it." Ryoko couldn't believe it. "Miss Fressange, you know as well as I do that Earthlings can't Jump. All the ones that tried were killed, remember? What makes you think I'm capable? I was born on a space colony, for Terra's sake!"

Inez continued to smile. "Ryoko, I'm here. I was born on Mars. I can Jump. But I just want to see if you'll be capable of helping me. You're perfectly safe with me here. Trust me. Just do it, okay?"

Ryoko sighed, realizing that this was no big deal. Following orders, she closed her stormy blue eyes. 'Earth, Mars, colony… somewhere in there. Anywhere in there.' Before she could stop it, images of her birthplace came into mind. Satsuki Midori. She thought of the fake grass they had there as well, all the houses, but looking up and seeing metal instead of sky. But the sight was normal, and comforting. When she had to go to Earth, the ever-changing sky was foreign, and odd. She never could get used to it. Ryoko didn't like change.

But she tried not to show that she was upset when Satsuki Midori blew up. The place was her home, but it was gone, and there was no why of pulling it back. 'I wonder if it's pieces are stilling floating out there, or if they cleaned it up? Is there a new colony there to replace it?'

Remarkably, Ryoko felt a small tug in her body. She dared not open her eyes, for she knew that Jumpers glowed when they did their duty, and she thought it would be quite odd to see Inez with little green lines all over her body. The image froze in her mind, a wide expanse of space where Satsuki Midori once floated, all cleaned up and taken out, but nothing in its place. 'There is where we'll go,' she thought, the idea amusing herself. Of course they wouldn't go there. They'd definitely go someone where else entirely, some place of Inez's choice.

The tug finally stopped, and she opened her eyes. There was a flash of bright light, surprisingly green, then nothing. Colorful and colorless nothing. Then she saw Inez and the rest of the observation deck. She was able to see for a few seconds before the bright green light enveloped her sight once again. She tightly closed her eyes against the blinding light, until her vision was dark. Then she opened them again to see Inez's smiling brightly as well. "Fantastic, wonderful, Ryoko. You did it. Amazing! I was right!" Ryoko couldn't help but glance out the window, which showed the view of the outside. They were in space all right. Where, Ryoko did not know.

Until a piece of debris, a tile from a roof passed into the window's view. Ryoko's blood ran cold. "Satsuki Midori???" Inez nodded. "Isn't that where you chose, Ryoko?" Ryoko's dark eyebrows snapped together. "Yes, but… Did you Jump us there? How did you know I was thinking about Satsuki Midori?" Inez laughed. "Ryoko, don't you see? I didn't know you were thinking of Satsuki Midori. Hell, I had no idea what you were thinking. But you did it." Ryoko still didn't get it. "Did what?" Inez smirked, obviously happy with the turn out. "You Jumped us to Satsuki Midori."

Ryoko stared out the window. Inez hadn't Jumped them at all, anywhere. It was all the work of a tomboy, Earthling pilot. The idea finally hit her and bile rose in her throat. She barely had time to bend over before she vomited, the effort of Jumping turning her stomach into mush and overwhelming her with a motion sickness she didn't even know she had. Inez bent down and patted the Quakist's back, connecting to the bridge. "Kanchou, we have Jumped to Lagrange point 2." Yurika nodded. "I'll send a message to the closest ship right away." Inez nodded back and closed the window. "We've done it. We've finally made it back to Earth, mostly in one piece."

On the bridge, Yurika sent out an emergency alert, trying to see if anyone would respond. She was unsure of how Inez was capable of Jumping the ship by herself, but her fellow Martian female had been surprising over the past few months. But the distant sight of the moon as a reassurance. They were finally home. A place that she had wanted to be for ages. And with nothing, absolutely nothing, to stand in the way of them going back to Earth and living their lives.

Yurika couldn't help but have her heart reach out to those who were no longer with them, either by choice or by death. Akatsuki, who she would never see again. Megumi, who had chosen Ninlan over Earth, and a good portion of Yurika's crew. Yurika sighed. She would have plenty of time to be sad later. Now she had to be a captain and get them back to Earth. And they were so close she could smell it.

"Finally. We're home."

~*~

OWARI

~*~

A/N: YESSSSSS! DONE DONE DONE!!!!!! WHEEEEEE! Ahem, okay. Yes. I am done. GO ME. Two fanfics done in this series. ^^ Well, how was this chapter? Nice and closing enough for you? No? BITE ME. ^^ How did you like the book? Total weirdness from the usual Nadesico-ness, ne? Well, I'm a huge fantasy freak, so I couldn't resist. ^^ Okay, first of all, let's say the reason for the end. Well, that's kinda to reel the readers into the next book, though I don't believe it will be started for a bit. Maybe. Anyway. Thanks goes to a lot of people. Once again, the famous-y people. Ahem. Kia Asamiya, of course, for creating Nadesico. Tamora Pierce (betcha didn't see this coming, didja?) for inspiring me to figure out my own magic laws based on elements and such. And, for the normal-ish people. Shadow, of course, for being quite regular on my updates. ;) Mitsu-san, as well, for raising my ego so much I though I was gonna explode. And other random people for listening to me bitch and moan and groan and complain about this story more than the last one. ^^ Speaking of comparison… This one took much less time to spit out, and it was only three pages shorter! That's right, 187 pages spat at you people! Go me! ^^ Well, like I said, keep your eyes open for the sequel, because I like my little Nadesico universe too much to leave it be! ^^ And don't worry, next one does have a plot planned already. ^^ And hopefully I'll be able to put as much into it as I want… Anyway. Thank you for reading this extra long fanfic, and I hope you read more from me in the future! Toodles! 

September 03, 2002 - January 25, 2003  



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